Once More
by dettel
Summary: Shadow x Sonic. Full summary in the first Act. PG13 with mild swearing, blood, and violence. A new villain invades Mobius and threatens to destroy the world! Sonic has been kidnapped and now it's up to his friends and the Ultimate Lifeform to save their home and the blue speedster, not only from the clutches from evil, but also from himself.
1. Act I

A/N: I welcome you to another Shadow x Sonic fanfiction (and my first, mind you), Once More!

This action-packed story does not only have adventure, but it also has mystery, angst, drama, and of course! Romance~. Without further ado, here's a brief summary to introduce you to the bit background of the story that we will be developing in the future!

**Summary: ****Five years later when the world was once again saved from the clutches of evil, Sonic and his friends were finally at ease since Dr Eggman, have not shown his face for the past month, granting them peace and quiet for awhile. However, it looks like our blue hero is suspecting a foul play at the scientist's absence and decided to search for him. One thing led to another, and now a new threat arises yet again to destroy the world and Sonic has been kidnapped! It's now up to the Ultimate Lifeform to save the world and Sonic from the wicked before everything is too late!**

So, there you have it! Plot summary? Check. Tags? Check. Warnings for those who are easily fazed by sad stories? Uhh... Well, I'll leave that for later.~ In any case, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this new story and I hope you stay tune for more!

Sonic the Hedgehog and characters belongs to Sega and Sonic Team. All rights reserved.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post a review and I'll get back at ya!

~ Bye-bye!

* * *

**I**

**Act I : Part I**

**~ Premonition ~**

It was uncomfortably hot as he came to, or at least became aware of his surroundings; however, he knew also that he's in fact only dreaming. As the searing feeling grew and made him annoyed, he involuntarily fluttered his crimson orbs open and gazed upon the blurry, fiery image before him that seemed to surround him. The air was covered with heavy, choking smoke as flickers of flame danced amidst the slight chilling air.

_Where am I__…? _Was the first question his mind as he took a quick gander around his surroundings, growing worried as moments ticked on without a pause. He found out in a second that he was trapped somewhat in his position and cannot move a limb. He mildly mused that he usually can defy the logics of the dream world whenever he want since he does not bend to any rules, but it appears that he cannot in this case.

_Strange.. How did I get here__…__? What__'__s happening? _Though it is not apparent in his cool mask, his dark eye ridges furrowed in contempt and confusion as he glanced once more around the blaze, looking for some sort of clue as to what's occurring in the space. So far, he had recognized none and was only left with a familiar out-of-body sense. _This is a dream, isn__'__t it? Why can__'__t I…—_

His thoughts were then halted as another figure looms into his hazy vision, at the same time, his strength was suddenly sapped away from him, leaving him gasping for air and clenching his abdomen in one swift moment. _What the heck?!_

_I can__'__t talk either! What is this?! _Panic soon sets upon him as the figure grew closer as he attempted to find his balance despite his initial collapse when his lower limbs gave way and he had found himself in a precarious situation where he can't do anything at all. His ruby optics zeroed in to the approaching figure, a sense of foreboding and curiosity dawning upon his racing mind. For once, he was actually _terrified _of what's to come, knowing that he can't maneuver away with all the anticipation in the air rising and the alarm bells that were set off at the immediate appearance of the presence before him.

Another second ticked by before the frame of the being closing in on him finally came into view, and he can't help but gasped in surprise and _horror_.

There, before him, was the downtrodden anthropomorphic body of a recognizable hedgehog, severely injured and bloody to the point that his cobalt blue fur was matted with dried blood from all assortments of wounds, bruises and punctures. The familiar frame of the well-known blue speedster swayed forward and the crimson-eyed spectator can't do a thing beside watch him fall from his fumbling, weak grace. The witness of this unlikely sight internally called out to the fallen hedgehog in worry, yet he remained speechless at the dire scene before him. The body before him was no longer moving after another second ticked by, then another passed…

The one who had surveyed all of this was none other than the ebony, crimson-eyed hedgehog known for his title as the Ultimate Life-form and his mercilessness towards his enemy. He prided himself as an unbreakable and unaffected individual, yet at this moment, all those labels were loosely kicked away as the Shadow the Hedgehog, screamed for his rival's name, as if it his own life is flashing before his very eyes: Sonic the Hedgehog.

-x-

"_Aah!" _A wild gasp makes its way through the throat of a certain bio-engineered hedgehog as he snapped awake from his equally disturbing dream. Disconcerted ruby oculars flickered into reality and instantly recognized the all too mundane ceiling of his apartment floor. Shadow the hedgehog slowly sat up in his twin size bed, his face evident that the image left by the nightmare still lingered and made him, surprisingly, sweat in nervousness. His heart beat was hammering away, his lungs whining for air, while all in all, he attempted to calm himself down and remind himself harshly that it was only a mere dream.

"This is really unbecoming of me.." He whispered to himself quietly, his quiet, keen gaze lifting up after they were cast down to the white, untarnished mattress. It was still night time and the full moon outside was still hovering just about the horizon. This, of course, didn't surprised Shadow since he had headed to bed earlier than the usual due to a reason. Still perturbed by the rather vivid imagery produced by his subconsciousness, he silently laid down back again to his bed and stared at the ceiling emptily, letting out a final sigh. Though the vision he had perceived in his sleep perturbed him to an extent, he would be lying if he wasn't at least interested and curious of what had actually happened. His mind pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

_It__'__s no use thinking about now__… __Must have been the work and the pasta that Rouge gave me today__'__s lunch… __I knew there was something fishy__— _

"Shadow..? Are you sleeping, darling?"

_And speak of the devil__… _He released a sigh and answered the female's call from the other side of the door. "I'm still up, you can come in."

The door swung open slightly before a curious white ear poked through, followed by a pair of concerned sky blue optics that seemed to peer around the dim lit, small space of where Shadow has been staying awhile. Or ever since she had met him.

"Are you doing alright?" Her velvety voice called out to the dark furred artificial hedgehog who is still laying against the headboard of his bed, boring his ruby red oculars to the wooden door. "I heard yelling in here and was worried—"

"No. I'm fine. Nothing is going on… Sorry for the bother." Shadow abruptly cut her off before he could hear her out. The last thing he wants to deal with was the bat getting worried over a small nightmare.

"Oh.. Alright. Well, if you say so… And another thing actually…" The opal white gem huntress stepped inside his room and closed the door behind her with a gentle click. Her ears perked in attention as did Shadow's as she let herself in. The male bio engineered being waited for her to state her further business, recognizing the familiar serious mood expressed in her small gestures and expression.

"What seems to be the matter?"

"It's about the GUN actually.."

"The GUN…? What about them?" An eye ridge raises conspicuously at the presented subject.

Brief silence pressed after his reiteration before Rouge spoke up again in a soft, mild tone, though it still retained a heavy undertone of solemnity.

"They're actually looking for you and wondering what you've been up to."

This time, Shadow glanced to her with a tilt of his head.

"Are they not aware where I am living currently, Rouge?"

"No, no. They do. It's just that… They're kind of doubting you that you're scheming something."

".. Huh. I thought they knew better than to jump into conclusions after all the trouble they sparked five years ago."

A sigh escapes the bat's rosy lips as she consciously rub the back of her neck. "I told them that you're not doing anything suspicious at all."

Shadow sat up straighter in his position as he cast his glimpse away from the huntress and onto the nearby open window across the room, gazing at the glistening glow of the full moon hovering above the busy night city somewhere in Mobius.

"They are getting antsy because of my absences in their useless meetings, aren't they?"

His guess was greeted by yet another silence from the bat which he could only take as a yes. Sighing, the crimson-eyed life-form shook his head once before glancing back to Rouge.

"Fine. There's an upcoming meeting sometime today in the afternoon, right? I'll attend to that one so their worries can be appeased…"

Rouge nodded in affirmation, relief flooding her once nervous stature as she watched her companion quietly. "Thank you, Shadow."

Shadow nodded, "Is there anything else that you should tell me?"

Azure orbs flickered to the side as she was asked once again, cursing the life-form's sharp senses. "Well… There is one more thing. And it's a personal one."

"Well… What is it? Spit it out."

"Well… I'm curious as to why you're not attending to these meetings at all, and not contacting the GUN and I this past month…" She glanced back to him, worry evident in her features once again. "Is something wrong that I should know about?"

A thin line formed in the ultimate life-form's face as he was asked. He lowered his head to the blanket covering his lower half of his body before answering. He didn't really want to cause any more unnecessary concern for the bat's part but he had promised her in the beginning that he shouldn't lie to her. Heaving a sigh, he looked at her with a determined, serious gaze.

"I'm tracking down something."

"Tracking..? What or who is it?"

"Not many people know what it is yet, but I need to find it first before anyone does."

"… So, what is it..? A Chaos Emerald?"

"No… It's _something _else.

It's another life-form that looks like me."

-x-

**Act I : Part II**

**~ A New Threat Surfaces! ~**

In another part of Mobius, where the vast emerald grass carpeted field stretched boundlessly, landscapes shifting into incredible terrains and lush covered forests filled with natural wildlife; the sunny, clear blue summer skies showed nothing but fair weather ahead, and it appears to be a good day for speeding through the free, wide space for Sonic the Hedgehog.

_Haha! This is the best! _The cobalt blue anthropomorphic hedgehog thought as he dashed through the lively plains of the zone (which happened to be the all too familiar Green Hills). With his lanky soft tanned arms splayed at their respective sides as he raced against the passing breeze billowing through the field and his six sleek quills, the feeling that he's currently overwhelmed by was a sense of joy and thrill. Like the usual, the blue blur streaked across the area without difficulty, going at 80 kilometres per hour currently.

And like the _usual_, he's on the hunt for his arch-enemy, Doctor Eggman. From all the past encounters he had with the mad scientist, he's aware that the villain won't be sitting so quietly and idling by without plotting something wicked for the past month.

"Just what is that Eggbreath up to nowadays?" He wondered to himself rather audibly, keeping his bright green eyes forward. He had been roaming around the land, and so far, he did not once came across a badnik or any of the stupid contraptions set by the aforementioned intellect. This, of course, came off strange to the blue hedgehog while the rest of his friends assumed that the doctor just took a vacation from conquering the universe or something. While they enjoyed the freedom from fighting robots and the doctor, Sonic wanted to know the answer of the fat egg's absence.

_I bet he__'__s planning __something huge! _He contemplated in silence as he made his way to the coastal area now, the wide green landscape fading behind his dusty wake. _You better show your face sooner or later, Eggface! You do not want this to be any more difficult than it has to be!_

Without missing a beat, he increased his speed, a sliver of sound barrier manifesting above his head as he tore through the sandy beach of Mobius, leaving nothing but dust trails and smoke.

Unbeknownst to the azure hot rod, a pair of observant golden-ringed irises had been watching at the sidelines, particularly under the shadows, away from the eyes of the other. Those eyes remained on the moving body of the running hedgehog before they flashed away and there was darkness.

-x-

A couple of minutes had passed by quickly before Sonic came into a sudden halt, his form already passing the seaside already and now coming to the edge of another spacious track. He had been ready to blaze the familiar vista already but something had caused him to stop in his hurried steps.

And that was the appearance of another noticeable figure dawning on his sight before him. Blinking his curious emerald optics at the physique, a small smirk crossed his features. His feet was put to work once again, quickly making his way to the waiting form. It didn't took him long before the azure Mobian reached the other.

"Heya!" Sonic greeted out as he approached the recognizable dark furred creature. "Shadow, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Nothing. Sonic leaned his head to the side, raising a ridge to the unusual silent artificial life-form. He tried again, his tone light and chirp as ever.

"Giving me the silent treatment, huh? M'afraid that won't do at all, Shads~. Last time you tried to tune me out was you getting really annoyed in the end and me running away from your wrath." He let out a short laugh but stop when the other spoke in a low tone.

"Let's have a race to end this once for all."

Nonetheless to say, the blue Mobian was a bit shocked at the presented suggestion of race before he composed himself and allowed a confident smirk to be placed on his fawn lips. He relaxed his arms at his sides while his bright jade orbs focused on the figure before him.

"_You__'__re on!"_

Finally, the one that was recognized as "Shadow" swivelled around and faced the hedgehog. Much to the astonishment of Sonic, it turned out to be not the one who he had thought of. The being before him looked more or less like Shadow from the front, bearing the same number of spiky quills of a hedgehog and with the same style too, except they appear more fierce looking and the tips were faded to a hue of opal white. It took a while for Sonic to regain back his composure before he had the chance to inspect his opponent (who is NOT Shadow) again. The other was not wearing any inhibitors or anything, but instead his wrists were bandaged, the white linen showing signs that it was worn for a long time. Same goes with his legs and the hover skates adorning his feet that more or less resembles Shadow's Darkness skates albeit with minor tweaks here and there.

_Crap! _Sonic panicked inwardly, not because he found the stranger to be intimidating (no, not at all! Well.. Maybe a little, but who needs to know that?!), but because of his uncanny resemblance to one of his close friends, _How the hell did I mistake him for Shads?! But I swore that it was Shadow just a second ago__… __What the hell is going on?!_

"S-Sorry about that," Sonic proceeded to apologize right after he got over his shock and balanced out what's going on. "I thought you were someone else." Oh, how he wished he could hide in his closet for at least a week to get over his embarrassment. He never had mistaken anyone for somebody, except this time he did. His jade eyes roamed back to the empty expression of the being, a pink blush evident from his embarrassment colouring his tan cheeks no matter how self-assuring he appears. He scratched the side of his head, one of his die-hard habits when he's self-conscious of what he had done, while he waited for the other to at least say something to ease the awkward mood.

Thankfully, the stranger had sensed the discomfort that settled upon the hedgehog and merely bobbed his head. Though the being had not particularly said anything, just the small gesture was enough for the speedster to carry on and ignore his past mistake.

"Erm, since you're not Shads, you can totally ignore the proposition," Sonic said with a clear of his throat, looking at him with an apologetic expression.

"No."

"Huh?"_Wait, what did he just say?_"C-Come again?"

"I want to race with you." An evil grin crosses his face as his ridges furrowed curtly and stared back to the disbelieving eyes of the Mobian before him. "Since it's going to be your last… Sonic the Hedgehog."

Alarm bells started ringing in Sonic's mind as his honed instincts of danger urgently told him to bound away and analyze the situation carefully, while the other side of his primordial senses (from his years of battling Dr. Eggman combined with the desire of fighting and the thrill for adventure) stated otherwise. When he didn't say anything as a result of scrambling his thoughts into order, the posing adversary in this situation continued on, implying more of the direness of the circumstances.

"For your information, Dr. Eggman has one of the seven Chaos Emeralds," the being pressed on, "The first one to reach the scientist and grab the gem will be the winner. If you must know also, the scientist is currently not doing anything with the Emerald, he's just possessing it and storing it for later use. But don't get too relaxed…

If I win and grab the Emerald before you do, the world you live in will end as you know it…"

Several thoughts flashed by the speedster's mind like ricocheting bullets as he listened to his words. He badly wanted to ask what Dr. Eggman has got to do with this and how he had attained one of the Chaos Emeralds. Also, how would the other be able to start an apocalypse with a single Chaos Emerald?! No matter how many conclusions he could come up with, it doesn't make sense at all!

Yet the Shadow-lookalike doesn't appear to be joking from the way he's speaking.

_Just what the hell is going on?! All of a sudden the fate of this world is once again thrust upon me without warning! Geez! _With a grim expression, he narrowed his eyes at his potential foe and took a step back. _I knew something is up with Dr. Eggman, but still! How the heck did he managed to search for a Chaos Emerald? And who is this guy anyway? Why does he talk like he could change the future of this world in a blink of an eye when I lose? (which would NOT be happening!)_

_In any case, it looks like it__'__s too late for me to back out..__Not like I was planning__to at the start anyway!_

"What happens if I win?" Sonic half-glared at the impostor before him.

"Then nothing will happen. Or at least, _after the end of the race_. I'm not as patient and tolerant like any other enemies you've faced before, Sonic the Hedgehog. You better take this seriously.. Or else—

You'll be the downfall of this planet."

Sonic can't help but frowned before a bleak yet serious grin broke through his once confused visage. _He looks like a tough guy to beat__… But — _

"Ha! I always take my contests seriously without taking the fun from it!" The renowned blue speedster readied himself, taking a starting stance at his spot. "If you already know me, then you should be aware that I'm the fastest thing alive on this planet!

They don't call me the "Sonic the Hedgehog" for nothin'!"

The Shadow clone took his position also, his head turning forward to his set destination, his face assuming a neutral mask. Both hedgehogs lowered themselves, their centre of gravity positioning to their abdomen area, while they arched forward, like a loaded barrel ready to blast off into blinding velocity.

"Your doom and this planet's destruction is at nigh!"

"Let's just see about that." 3…

2…

1…

"_LET__'__S GO!"_

-x-

**END OF ACT 1**

A/N: And there you have it! That was the first chapter for this series! I welcome any grammar comments but only that. I will be posting the second act hopefully soon to flesh the plot more and introduce more characters in the story! Stay tune for more and thank you for reading! - dettel

Note: This is also available in dA! Check it out!


	2. Act II

A/N: Here's another chapter of Once More! Hope you guys are liking it so far and I do apologize that it's taking a bit long to introduce the plot of the summary, I'm just getting some things out of the way before we can proceed to the awesome stuff! Here, we can see the action developing and some characters making their appearances! WOO! Without further ado, I present to you, Act II!

Reviews will be so much appreciated!

~ Bye bye!

****Note: Aside from Sonic X, Sonic 06, Sonic Unleashed, Sonic and the Black Knight, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Generations, Sonic Riders, and Sonic Boom; the author does not have previous personal knowledge of the locations and few characters and only rely on quick information sources (Wiki, Sonic communities, etc.) Readers discretion is advised. **

* * *

**II**

**Act II : Part I**

**~ Speed of Sound ~**

Black and blue streaks zipped through the spacious green fields that stretched beyond the edge of the bay, where the Mobian hedgehog had met with the Shadow impersonator. Just approximately a minute ago, the copy had proposed a race to Sonic that the other can't simply refuse. The unknown creature had told the other that if he wins the race then no harm will come upon the speedster and to his world; however, if he loses, then he will bring the apocalypse upon this land. The azure hedgehog grimaced at the thought of having to deal with something so serious all of a sudden, but in this case, he really doesn't have a choice. He just hoped that the other was not serious about the whole destroying the entire planet thing, and this was all just a sick joke being played on him by someone (*coughShadowcough*).

In the mean time, they continued to blaze through the plains, leaving nothing but whirlwind of dirt and strong gust at their wake; both seemed to be evenly matched at their speed and endurance. Sonic had suspected from the start of their contest that this wouldn't be an easy victory, but for those who knew the blue hedgehog, he's not one to give up without a fight. Of course, the other being wasn't going to let the hedgehog have the win conveniently. As they sped down the path of their unknown destination, they appeared to be clashing head to head in their breaking neck velocity. Their sonic booms thundered like a clap of lightning in the background. It was indeed an incredulous sight to behold as they dashed through the grass fields that were now slowly transforming into sandy dunes and hard, rocky grounds. The change of their course were noticed by the pair, but that wasn't enough to falter them from their feet and concentration.

As time passed by, both of them were still going strong, their momentum seemingly unbreakable. The stranger found this rather fascinating that the Mobian creature weren't as pathetic and weak that he had assumed he would be in the first place. An expectant look began to form in his face, yet his crimson gaze still held that solid firmness, his mouth set in a tight line. They were signs that he shouldn't be taken so lightly. At this point, Sonic knew better than to underestimate this opponent.

"Looks like you're more than what I initially thought, Sonic…" the golden eyed creature spoke, keeping his gape straight ahead. His tone was complacent enough, but the next part made Sonic swivel his attention to him as he ran, "But, you are only a living, feeble creature that requires rest and energy… Sooner or later, you will tire out and collapse! You will let this world down, or so I would make you!"

Sonic gritted his teeth at the harsh comment, yet he can't risk to say anything. It's true that no matter how determined he was to beat this sucker down in speed and endurance, his body can only go so further. Unlike Shadow, who was engineered to tolerate hunger and tiredness for a longer period of time, Sonic meanwhile can only last so long due to his natural body's needs. If he were to quip back to him and waste his oxygen, that would likely result into a devastating loss for him. Not to mention, he would be also the cause of the world's end. For the meantime, he remained silent, yet he had expressed his disgust and determination in his face as he pushed his legs to its limit, eventually reaching mach 2 speed.

To a naked eye, both were like ribbons of ultramarine and ebony colours as they reached their top speed. With the impersonator achieving only a level below Sonic's mach 2, their differences began to show little by little as they passed the final bar of their set finish line. Knowing this is the last stretch of their competition, the being afforded a swift glance to Sonic, recognizing his tenacity in his features. Inwardly, he applauded the hedgehog for his willpower and strength. Yet, he wouldn't just let him up because of that. With him being only an arm's distance away from the hedgehog, he grabbed the speedster's attention by raising his voice, loud enough to only echo within the sound barrier of which they created from their extreme agility.

"Heh, you're not all that bad, but you have not seen my true powers yet…" the other started as Sonic peered through his peripheral vision with a tiny frown. "I'm not going to get serious with you, but I think I've seen enough of your potential to be a worthy… adversary."

_Does this guy ever stop talking? I still seriously regret that I__'__ve mistaken him from Shadow, but this guy is a nut case compared to him!__These kind of thoughts filled the hero__'__s mind as he observed the other with a light scowl. But __really__… __How the hell can he easily catch up to me at this rate?! He__'__s as fast as me and Shadow! And that__'__s saying something__… __In any case, I better win this so I could get answers from him.__ — __But come to think of it__… __Where is the finish line__—__?_

"You're probably thinking where Dr. Eggman's base is, right?" His foe interrupted the trail of his thoughts again. A jeering smirk crossed his lips as he continued, "... That scientist has an emerald, that I assure of you, but he's currently hiding and I don't know where he is."

_What?!_

"I will tell you more if you manage to defeat me." He turned forward and jerked his head to the open cliff space that would lead them to a canyon. "Whoever gets to the canyon first wins."

_This jerk..! He__'__s this close getting his face spin dashed!_

-x-

A few more kilometres left before they reach their goal, their surroundings were nothing but a blur and dirt. Sonic and this unidentified enemy were still raring, both demonstrating their willpower to cross the finish line. The canyon loomed before them as they accelerated as if there's no tomorrow. Which is more than likely fitting of a metaphor to what the hedgehog is competing for anyway.

The blue blur noticed that his speed is being matched and panicked a little, doubt and worry filling his head. What if he doesn't win this race? His veins continued to pump adrenaline as his mixed emotions influenced his heart rate and movement, giving him a quick boost of speed at the last minute. Emerald orbs focused on the prize ahead of him, setting his lips into a thin line, ignoring the small voices in his head that attempted to put him down.

_Get yourself together! You__'__re not __going to be easily beaten by this impostor! I__'__m Sonic, the fastest thing alive in this world!_ He gripped his fists tightly as he pushed himself forward despite the starting strain in his legs. _Just a few more meters!_

Right at that moment, one quick step is all it took for him to launch himself in the air. He lurched forward, curling himself into that familiar looking cobalt blue ball. The shape rotated almost like an uncontrollable sphere before it landed back to the ground, effectively passing the surprised black creature and dashed the remaining distance in a flash.

Once he crossed the invisible line, he rapidly bounced back to his feet and whirled back to the other with a smug expression.

"Ha! I win! Now it's time for you to answer my que— Huh?!" _Where did he go?!_

With a confused stare, he glanced around his surroundings, in hope that he had not missed him or anything. Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight. After a frantic search around the windy area, he shook his head once before pondering quietly. "What the heck… Huh?"

His attention caught a glowing gem lying before his feet. How the hell did he fail to not notice that? He picked it up casually and turned it over in his gloved hand, his thoughts racing like always to make sense of what's going on. "So, he had an emerald with him, huh." A grin spread across his face as he clenched the emerald tightly, "Heh, it's only right that I win something…" But, his self-satisfaction soon diminished when he recalled something about the potential start of an apocalypse mentioned by his opponent earlier.

Right when he decided to trek back to the city to possibly discuss this encounter with them, the emerald began to shimmer before it flashed a blinding light, causing the blue hedgehog to cover his eyes with his other arm. He still held on to the gem in his grasp automatically, grunting in surprise at being caught off guard. When it was all over, he glanced back to his hand and saw that it had attached itself to Sonic's left wrist like a steel sterling bracelet.

"What the.." Sonic attempted to remove it from his limb but to no avail. Frowning a little, he debated his next course of action and decided to go back to his friends and try to contact a particular hotheaded echidna who's expert at the powers of the Chaos Emeralds. With a deep sigh, the blue speedster instantly bolted his way towards the countryside, checking the destination in his head.

_Next stop, Tails__' __workshop._

-x-

**Act II : Part II**

**~ Grim News ~**

Meanwhile, Shadow and Rouge had made their way to one of the GUN headquarters in the city later in the day. Shadow had barely caught any sleep after the nightmare last night, but it didn't hindered him from his basic and usual routine. It was one of the wondrous things of being a bio-engineered hedgehog, where you can go on without eating or sleeping for days. For Rouge, the bat stayed with the ultimate life-form and kept an eye on him in case the other decided to change his mind on attending in the meeting. Much to his dislike being observed closely, Shadow didn't have choice but to comply since.

As they treaded the familiar path heading to one of the tallest building in downtown, they spotted that it was almost deserted. There are some people roaming about, but both anthromorphs had assumed initially that the roads should be at least filled with honking cars and disgruntled adults making their way home or going to their afternoon shifts.

The two looked over to each other, similar thoughts crossing their minds, before they hurried their pace to the looming structure ahead. They entered the lobby and were greeted by a multitude of black suited men, armed with assorted guns and equipments appropriate for containment and defensive measures.

It took a moment to get over their short shock before they maneuvered their way to the front of the crowd. Once they made it, they found themselves face to face with the current head of the GUN, Commander Daniels, and a handful of bodyguards and his personal assistants. They appeared to be busy talking among themselves before one of the people took notice of the arrival of the pair.

"Sir, Shadow and Rouge have arrived," one of the female brown-haired assistants alerted the Commander before she scribbled to her clipboard. The Commander, a man that seemed to be in his fifties with a muscular build and ash grey short combed-back hair, turned to the duo and nodded at their direction, acknowledging their presence. He turned back to the group conversing with him and ushered them away after barking an order to organize the waiting men behind them.

The two closed the distance between them and the commander, turning to them again. "Glad that you could make it, Rouge." He turned to the black artificial hedgehog and nodded at him also, "You too, Shadow. You chose the good time to attend today's meeting."

"What's going on, Commander?" Rouge asked as she peered around them, seeing people hurrying to their designated positions and preparing for departure.

The leader gave out a deep sigh, "Big things, Rouge, dear. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury to discuss the matter in details; however, long story short, Westopolis and Soleanna are in a code red emergency alert. We received news that something abnormal is causing huge tremors in their land and wrecking havoc in the overland territories."

"What?!" Rouge exclaimed in disbelief while Shadow remained composed, though he rose a curious eye ridge.

The leader just shook his head gravely, deeply expressing his sympathy for the terror going outside their own metropolis. "We don't know what's causing this peculiar phenomenon, but there's one thing that we are sure of…"

Rouge and Shadow gazed at the Commander in serious anticipation.

"We received a distress signal from the harbour which confirmed our suspicion. The tremors will hit our city and most likely cause some damages, but if we act soon-"

As if on cue, the ground shook beneath them. The shaking was powerful enough to topple anyone who was caught off guard by the motion, but it wasn't enough to cause any collateral damage. Yet. It lasted for a minute before things settled back down, but it still stirred enough discomfort and stress, both to the people within the building and outside.

The ultimate life-form stepped up and flickered a quick glance around them before he spoke, "What's the plan now?" _I see, so that__'__s why there__'__s not a lot of people out in the streets right now.__They__must have issued a temporary evacuation order beforehand._

"I've already issued a command to mobilize the military personnels in the city, and my assistants are just going over the orders that I've handed with the army," the Commander informed, "They will be ready to deploy to the pointed position to where we managed to locate the epicentre of the distress signals."

They both nodded at this confirmation. The pair looked to one another, figuring out their appropriate jobs in a quick moment. With their minds already attuned to one another, thanks to their numerous co-missions, they ultimately decided what they're going to do.

The female GUN spy-slash-gem huntress cocked a whimsical smirk to the obviously distressed faction leader of the organization. "I'll go ahead and scout the area first for any clues and enemies. It's better if we are more than prepared of what's to come." She then made a notion to Shadow, her tone serious yet playful at the same time, "I would also contact _our friends_ for help, if we needed it. _They_ might have a good idea as to what we're dealing with anyway."

Shadow bobbed his head once in affirmation then peered back to the now bewildered commander. "I'll help out in the front lines and scout ahead after Rouge on land. There might be some enemies already that had infiltrated the coastlines. I'll deal with them quickly." _If they__'__re not already taken care of by a certain annoying blue faker that I know of__…_

The Commander responded both to their initiation with a firm huff and saluted, as the duo backtracked and exited the scene. Rouge beat her wings powerfully and took off without any hesitation. Shadow swayed back and dashed out of everyone's sight in the speed of sound, his skates blazing a golden light against the pavement, making them appear like a flash of golden neon laser to a human eye.

After they left, the commander silently wished both of them good luck on their respective missions.

-x-

For the time being, in the other side of the Mobius landscape, located within a dilapidated shed that housed several complex technology, completely setting a major contrast to the exterior interface of the house and its interior designs; the sudden quakes were also felt at the country side. A particular fair-furred two-tailed fox was concurrently working on his beloved plane machine, but was disrupted by the small upheaval of the ground. It caught him in surprise as his tools toppled from their placements.

In an instinct, the cerulean-eyed fox stood in a defensive stance, anticipating for an ambush or some sort. When nothing else happened after a brief minute, he straightened his posture and took a gander around his fallen apparatus. Sighing at the mess that the quake left, he grumbled under his breath and started to set them up again, wondering what was that all about.

_That was really weird__… __This place doesn__'__t ever get any earthquakes since it doesn__'__t lie near to a fault line.. I wonder what had caused it?_ Shrugging the curious thoughts away, he casually went back to his business, adjusting and re-attuning his greatest piece yet; Tornado. However...

Unbeknownst to the two tailed creature, a strange golden glow began to illuminate at the sea horizon outside his miniature seaside lab, and that the seism earlier was an indication of an upcoming horrifying event…

-x-

Somewhere above the ocean, a mountainous island was seen to be elevated from the water surface level a hundred meters high by a special force energized by the crowning massive gem located in the centre of the island. The Angel Island, home to the lone survivor of the Echidna clan, appeared to be in its usual rest and solemn peace…

Until the natural breeze suddenly grew violent and slowly shifted into a raging cyclone that wrapped around the island like an invisible, powerful veil. The change didn't escape the keen senses of the tenant living there, however.

Violet orbs moved to the east direction where it picked up the brilliant light flashing at the edge of the dawning magenta sunset skies. The owner of those eyes frowned slightly at the sight he was beholding before him.

"I got a bad feeling about this…" The red echidna seemed to contemplate for a second before he turned away from the view, while his spines whipped back at the passing malevolent wind. He was positioned atop the altar where the Master Emerald lies in eerie amity, like always. As long as he could remember and after the passing of his last relative who had protected the emerald before him, he had always watched over the gem as the last guardian from the Echidna clan. There were often times when he leaves it alone for a short while and depart the island whenever his friends are in trouble, so he's not as secluded like before when there was only him and the jewel. After meeting a certain blue hedgehog and a yellow genius kit, he's not alone anymore and had allowed his mind and heart to be open and honest to the world outside his island. But, of course, despite all of that; he has not forgotten his duty as the protector of the precious jewel.

Going back to the present, he thought of descending from the island and meet up with his allies as to what was happening, but he knew better than to leave the master emerald alone in this possible dire circumstance. He peered at his left wrist, where there was an attached device that appeared to be a communicator.

_If things go awry, Tails would albeit contact me immediately anyways__… _He thought to himself as he took another glimpse to the horizon.

Yet, he was taken by surprise again when his vision blurs and became light-headed. There was a warm sensation at the tip of his gloved hands, the heat spreading to his arms then his entire torso. It was an all-too-familiar feeling for him, when the Master Emerald is creating a link to his inner spirit sanctum. During at these times, the jewel's powers would let him connect with the unknown force of the Chaos and sometimes gives him a branch of its powers; and every so often, it would let the echidna foresee the future.

As he felt himself being overwhelmed by the Chaos energy, his mind being muddled by the sheer intensity of its power, he began to see flashes of vivid imagery in his open mind.

And those pictures were depicted appalling situations where his friends are either crying for help or injured beyond aid. Among those frightful flickers, the one that stood out the most was his lifetime rival and old friend, Sonic. He was standing on top of heaps of blurred bodies of defeated enemies. It wouldn't come off as shocking to the guardian being that he had seen the hedgehog win so many battles against formidable opponents, but if it weren't for the extreme showcase of blood and the odd calm, bizarre look carved in his face like a crazed murderer, his mouth wouldn't be gaping open in shock and his purple eyes wide in silent horror.

The revelation ends right there when Sonic appears to be looking dead straight to the guardian, leaving the echidna shivering in anxiety and his heart palpitating against his chest like a dual rotor. Truth be told, he has never seen the blue hero like that before. He found it unbelievable, but he's aware that the jewel doesn't lie. _Unless__…_

_The Emerald_ does _predict the future correctly, but it only shows the potential outcomes in the future__… __So,__that __means__… __There__'__s a way to stop that from happening!_

With a frustrated release of breath, he took off from the top of the altar and descended from the staircase in one fluid gliding motion. Once he landed back down to the dirt, he began his journey back down to the earth below his island. As he ran through the thick weald that surrounded the ancient altar that held the giant emerald for ages, he started to ponder about the vision he had received from the Master Emerald and the weird atmosphere in the air, as if something would drastically happened in one fell swoop. So many questions clogged his mind, jumbling his thoughts all over, yet he managed to concentrate on what matters the most.

And that would be the intense feeling of this world's impending doom…

-x-

**END OF ACT II**

A/N: How did you like it so far? I'm planning to add another part for the next Act, but that would mean taking a long time to write it. Sigh. Well~ As long as I'm inspired, I will do my best to upload them as fast as I can! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review and follow if you're interested in reading the story so you won't miss any updates!

Thanks again for reading!


	3. Act III

A/N: Welcome to the third installment of Once More! I didn't really expect this one to as long as the first two, but I think it will get longer as I write more. Much inspiration, wow. Anyways, hope you enjoy this latest chapter! There will be scenes cutbacks and multiple jumps as the story progresses on, but they will be written in a separate ficlet. For now, I'll focus on the main storyline first before I do anything else. Thanks again!

PS.: Chapter 4 will be delayed due to approaching exams and projects. Sorry guys. vv.

PSS.: Mobius and the timeline will be constructed according to the author's desires to incorporate the plot of the story well. Thank you for understanding. Any questions or concerns can be addressed in the review section.

* * *

**III**

**Act III : Part I**

**~ Total Apocalypse ~**

It had taken him awhile to finally reach the old warehouse of his furry best friend. He came to a halt almost instantly as he arrived at the doorstep of the fox's current home, before his gloved hand rapped against the shut wooden doors.

"Tails! It's Sonic!" he hollered, his voice echoing within the area amidst the sea waves crashing behind him and the whipping winds that stirred its rest. The blue hedgehog waited for a moment, tapping his left red shoe against the loose sandy dirt below his sole. After a couple of seconds, the door swung open, revealing a concerned goggled kit.

"Sonic?" Tails flicked his eyewear of from the line of his vision, revealing his sapphire optics zeroed in to the speedster's face, "What's the matter?"

"Some serious business is going down and I need your smarts to figure this out." Sonic let himself in, passing Tails on his way while the other had sidestepped, seeing the austere expression on his friend's visage. Once he was inside his home, he hurried to where the communication device that they've used to contact anyone and turned to the befuddled fox, who had followed him and watched him with a worried look.

"Whoa there, Sonic, you gotta calm down— What's going on?!"

"I'll explain it to you and Knuckles," he retorted. It was clear on his tone and mood that he's in a hurry. "We don't have much time before—"

He was then disrupted by another quake of the ground, this time it was enough to stagger the fox's balance, his rear meeting the cemented floor with a soft thud. Meanwhile, Sonic swayed just a bit before he caught himself on the edge of the massive telecommunication device, maintaining his own equilibrium as he waited for the tremors to pass. Tails looked around, anxious and terrified. He watched his gizmos and whatnots fall from the shelves; his plane shuddering at the corner, threatening to move front it's fastened place.

When it was over, he scrambled to his feet and glanced to his friend, clearly shaken. "Wh-What was that?!"

While Tails tried to make sense of what could possibly have caused such an accident, the hedgehog was busy tinkering with the device at hand to patch through to his old echidna rival. Though the fox was considered the brain in his band of friends, Sonic was more than capable of operating some easy gadgets once he gotten a handle of it. The large LCD screen blipped into life and buzzed before it displayed the disconcerted face of the guardian.

"Tails— Sonic?" Knuckles was surprised to see the hedgehog instead of the usual fox, however upon taking a look at his rival's expression, he can only conclude that things are far more dire than he had expected can, not only on his end.

Sonic wasted no time on greetings and proceeded immediately to what he needed to know right away. "Knuckles, what's the stat with the Master Emerald?"

The jittery fox walked to his friend's side, sliding into Knuckle's view in his monitor screen. He peeked at Sonic restlessly, finding it odd that the hedgehog would mention the emeralds. Is something happening with the Emeralds again?

Knuckles replied back urgently in his normal rough tone, "So far, not so good. I just got a vision from the jewel about something horrible." When he had mentioned the latter, his violet oculars narrowed in worry. Deciding not to divulge further on the topic involving Sonic's potential drastic transformation in the near future, he went ahead and told the two about the other matters that the Master Emerald had foretold, "It seems like the other emeralds are losing their power and causing some sort of imbalance in this world. Normally, the Master Emerald would tell me the factor that led to such incidents, but I got nothing in my end. Not to mention, it's acting weird after I got the premonition… It's like I can't interact with it anymore— Something is jamming my spiritual link to it."

The two listened carefully and affirmed the trouble in their hands. They looked to one another before Sonic spoke up again, deciding to tell them his encounter with the being earlier that appeared a lot like a particular life-form. He told them about everything, down to the details of obtaining one of the Chaos Emeralds that was now somehow attached to his wrist, and the prophecy of which his adversary had spoken of. Tails and Knuckles were left in their deep thoughts after the Mobian hero had finished his short tale. Something with the whole ordeal they're facing aren't making sense to them and this is usually not a good sign. From Sonic's race to the emerald and now impending apocalypse..?

On Tails' side, he thought that it was all too convenient to happen at the right moment, as if they're not coincidences at all. Something or someone is instrumenting this doomsday scheme and for once, he could safely reckoned that it isn't Eggman staging this feat.

For the moment, Knuckles pondered the entire scenario in his mind, and like Tails', he came into a conclusion that Eggman wasn't that much of an organized planner when it comes to crafting his evil plots of conquest. The echidna also thought of the possibility that something or someone other than Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and he, can manipulate the flow of the Chaos energy to cause such a large, radical shift in both time and space.

_If the last part is true, then this is bad news__…_ Knuckles sighed inwardly before he carried on, "Other than that, have you two seen or heard anything about the strange light at the horizon?"

Upon hearing this, Sonic nodded in confirmation while Tails tilted his head to the side, a sign that he had not.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bad vibe from that light. Ya got any clue on what it could be?"

"Can't say that I do. But, I agree with you on that. Seeing that I can't rely to the Master Emerald's power to see what it is actually, we're going to be running blind here until I fix this thing out."

Sonic nodded his head, "I'm counting on ya, red. Me and Tails are going to head to the bay to take a closer look. If ya got anything on your end, catch us on our comms."

"Roger that, blue." The link ended with the echidna cocking a thumbs up to the monitor while Sonic smirked back. With the transmission over, the hedgehog glanced to Tails then to the plane, situated near the entrance of the shed.

"Ready to fly, bro?" Despite the pressure and the danger they're in, Sonic was known to face threats with a smile and positive attitude. Though, he's somehow restless for some reason, he kept up a brave, determined face and let his righteous instincts do what it has to do. The hedgehog held a curled fist in the air before the nervous little fox grinned back decisively, meeting his fist with his own.

"_Born_ ready."

-x-

**[ We ****now bring you live to the supposed source of the terror, here at the Emerald Coast. As you can see here****… ****]**

**[ Breaking news! GUN Commander has issued a permanent evacuation of all citizens of Central City! People are advised to stay calm and follow the escort patrols and military personnels stationed near the subway station****— ****]**

**[ Reports are coming in about the strange light that had appeared in the horizon, along with the estimated ****casualties of public property damage. Researchers had also perceived a grim number of the incoming seismic activity that we will be experiencing periodically****— ****Stay tuned for more updates****— ****]**

Every screen available in the city, including mobile devices, displayed the same event regarding the damages that the city had sustained so far. Theories, reports, estimates, and rumours about the phenomenon floated about in every social media, which further the trepidation and dismay of the viewing crowd. The news continued to run, the side programs put aside for the more urgent matter. While the people waited in dreadful anticipation behind the safety line of their evacuation shelters, the reporters were out in the fray, where the GUN foot army are mobilizing at the harbour in Emerald Coast, facing the dawn of light. If that wasn't daring enough, some were even coming along to the heli pad to journey above the massive body of turbulent waters and broadcast their findings with their quivering crew. This goes to say that these people are serious about getting the scoop up close that's troubling the city.

Once they loaded a single unit helicopter, piloted by one of the GUN military members, the obstinate correspondents and their crew started their broadcast at once, wanting to beat their competitors for the popular headlines. They did their usual welcoming routine before they quickly jumped to what the rest of the world wanted to know.

Their transportation wavered slightly as they approached their destination. In a span of fifteen minutes, they dawned upon the most terrifying sight that they have ever beheld…

Before their gaping eyes, the source of the light was nothing other than a gargantuan floating mechanical contraption supported by numerous flight advanced technology that they've never seen before. The flying mechanism was shaped like a dome with a weird tri-orbs orbiting the thing like stellar beings. However, that wasn't the only thing that shook them off to their reverie. Aside from its grand scale and its magnificent technological appearance…

"Hey.. What the hell is that..." One of the crew people tapped their companion's shoulder and directed a fearful look at the writhing darkness that seemed to have blanketed at least the quadrant of which it had resided over. It obscured the water's surface, yet the waving motion of the ocean was still evident even after all the mass on top of it.

Before anyone can apprehend of what's going on anymore, an ear-splitting cry disturbed them from their shock and were forced to glance to the direction of where it came from.

"Oh, hell no.."

"We're _BEYOND_ screwed…"

"_WHO THE HELL THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE?!_"

Agitation and hysteria slowly set upon the group as they marked the forming of a distorted, ghastly monstrosity. It didn't hold any physical solid form, but it was at least the size of an eighteen wheeler truck with a wide, gaping mouth resembling to an endless chasm of death. A horrid stench of something burning and gasoline filled the cold air as it rose from the surface of the water and shot upwards like a bolt of lightning. The only thing that indicated its presence was the three orbs circling around its supposed unidentifiable body.

They almost screamed when their panic rose and finally hit the ceiling as they noticed a quick blur of motion heading their way. It took them a while before they calmed down and recognized that it was a white bat that caused the commotion. The pilot nodded at the gliding anthromorph and opened the hatch, letting the female treasure hunter in while the rest ushered back to give her a room.

Upon landing, she threw a coy smile at the pilot, thanking him before turning to the other occupants of the helicopter. With a stern look, she berated at them in a low tone, "And what are you guys up to? You're not supposed to be here. It's far too dangerous!"

When she didn't get any retaliation from them, she huffed a sigh and turned away and faced the pilot. "Get this copter back to the army. I'll take care things from here."

"Yes, ma'am." With one final smirk, Rouge pulled the latch down and jumped off, her wings unfurling behind her as she twirled in mid-air and took off at the same speed as a jet, en route to the hovering giant mechanism. As the heli grew farther away from her, she turned on her communicator on her wrist and called Shadow and the commander.

"I got my sight on the objective. I'll send you both the visual data for the meanwhile, I'll scout further and try to find more information," she told them once they were connected. As she was talking, she noticed the luminous creatures spawning down beneath her. The reporters had only spotted one of the entire legion that was hidden within the stormy weather. She would be lying to herself if she wasn't at least intimidated by the sheer populace of the anomalies popping out from the breeding darkness below, but her nerves of steel and unwavering determination to get solve the situation urged her forward.

She just hoped that the others would soon analyze and figure out a more strategic plan to defeat this thing without any blood shed.

-x-

Back at the coast, Shadow was seen to be scouring the east side. The GUN troops were situated near the harbour, opposite from where he was. The last signal that he had received from Rouge's wake was at the exact point where she had departed to the direction of the levitating structure. From his and other's position, they couldn't quite detect it through their viewing instruments. Unaware of the severity of their plight, Shadow continued to trudge along the edge of the bay, the last rays of the sun disappearing on the other side of the horizon, yet it wasn't as dim as a natural twilight hour would be, due to the special circumstances that they're dealing with. The dark furred hedgehog held an impatient expression as he halted in his tracks and faced the general route of which the huntress had taken.

_Why is she taking so long to contact him?_

Before he could grumble on, his keen senses picked up a rustling noise at his side, coming from the lush at his left angle. He's certain that it's a living being, or at least that's what his intuition told him. He flashed a glare at its way, annoyed that someone would disturb him in the middle of his mission.

_If it__'__s that blue hedgehog again, I__'__ll__ —_ He stopped short when the last entity he wanted to see appeared before him from the depths.

"You…" He swiftly changed his footing into an aggressive stance, his quills perking up in addling manner. "How dare you show your face again…"

The being aimed a brazen look at his way, placing a gloved hand at his side. "You again of all the places.. You really do like stalking, don't you, Shadow?"

"Don't talk. I'll end you right here and now," Shadow growled under his breath, his crimson orbs reflecting the figure before him fiercely. "You damn impostor…"

"Heh, I would love to stay and play with you, but you are not my high priority right now." The ebony-white hedgehog, snapped his fingers. The darkness around him began to writhe and throb into life before it spat five blobs of black glob forward, the unknown twitching clumps twisting and rising from the ground, forming into darkened figures of the summoner. The clones staggered forward to the artificial hedgehog hauntingly before their summoner smirked flippantly and began to saunter back to where he had came from.

"Wait, damn you!" Shadow attempted to start his pursuit but was stopped by one of the shadow clones by getting on his way. He warded it off by kicking it away mercilessly with the sole of his skates, but one of its companions managed to hinder him right after, tackling him back. He struggled to get free, but he was determined to get his questions answered and to kick the other's butt while he's at it. But for now, he wanted to know the reason behind his lookalike's appearance and his presence…

"At least tell me this," he exhorted after he broke free from his foe's grasp and chuck him away, vanquishing him effectively back to where it came from with a powerful punch to its torso. He turned to the entity, surprised that he had paused on his tracks.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here? Are you the one who's causing all of this? What is happening, and you're not from here, are you…?"

There was silence before he glanced over his shoulder, his golden orbs flaring an angry light to the crimson ones. He responded in a cool, callous tone as he shrugged. "Hmph.. I don't think you're in any position to ask such questions, but I'll humour you just this once..."

_Why, you..._

I am called Alcaeus. Alcaeus the Sybil…" He sneered blatantly, "As for why I'm here, well.. Let's just say that I'm here for revenge and salvation." He released a huff and swivelled his emotionless gaze away from the hedgehog and retreated back to the shade, the inkjet creeping darkness swallowing his figure till his presence dissipated into nothingness.

Shadow cursed more under his breath and clenched his fists, unsatisfied of the response he got. However, he had at least learned the name of the enemy. He swore to himself at that point on that he's going to hunt the bastard down and send his backside to where he came from for not only looking like him, but also having the nerve to destroy the planet that his beloved Maria wanted to protect.

"He's going to experience the full extent of my ultimate power. The _hard_ way."

-x-

**Act III : Part II**

**~ Edge of Tomorrow ~**

Sonic and Tails were on their cobalt blue biplane upgraded Tornado, cruising through the increasing violent wind currents as they head on the other side of the coast, where the fox had picked up a strong burst of energy. As they flew over the canopy of the forest, both of them were mulling over the unbelievable fact that the world is ending and the Chaos energy being manipulated by another wicked character aside from Eggman. Sonic thought of his meeting with the jet black hedgehog that bore semblance with Shadow, his words echoing in his head repeatedly. He was pissed at the other for not following the end of his deal, while at the same time, he was curious as to why the creature wanted this world to be ruined.

_Yeah, right__… __Maybe after I kick his butt twice or thrice, I__'__ll listen to his story and reasons__…_

He checked behind his shoulder to see how the fox kid is holding up and was impressed that the sapient kit was handling the bewildering situation with a genuine countenance more so than he was. He sighed and steeled himself, gripping the front edge of the plane's wing, steadying himself as if he was preparing to launch himself in any given moment. Right before he can, he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, is that…" Tails glanced to him and followed his gaze to find two recognizable faces running below them.

"It's Amy and Cream!"

Sonic glanced back up to the fox and grinned as he leaned back from his position. "Meet ya in the far side, Tails."

The fair-furred kit peered at him with furrowed brows and shook his head as he attempted to lower their altitude. "No! We're going to help them together."

The blue hedgehog stared at him for a second before he grinned further. "Thanks Tails… I'll see you later."

Without further ado, he sprung off from his position and bounced down to the foliage of the dark woody depths below. The kit gasped in surprise before he bit his lip, maneuvering the Tornado hesitantly forward.

_Be careful, Sonic__… __I got a bad feeling about this._

-x-

Once the blue aircraft propelled ahead of him, the speedster hurried his pace to where he had last spotted a certain pink hedgehog and a cream-coloured rabbit personified beings. It didn't take him long before he saw them sprinting to the same direction where he and Tails were going. With a burst of acceleration, he jogged his way to their route, trailing behind them.

_Why are they runni__— __Oh._

His emerald optics grew aware of their pursuers, appearing from the shadows like night creatures. They were oddly shaped like a deformed creature, with lanky dark limbs and glistening steel claws, reaching to their targets. Their white sclera glowed a bit in the darkness, giving them a ghastly appearance.

_What are they?!_ "Amy! Cream!"

Both beings up ahead perked in attention as their names were called, recognizing the familiar voice of the blue blur. Amy, the rose pink-furred hedgehog, was the first one to peer over her shoulder as she continued to run with her companion. Her jade-hued eyes instantly found the caller and smiled broadly and in relief. Meanwhile, Cream the Rabbit didn't pause one bit, but she knew that Sonic had came to their aid once again.

Without faltering on his own feet, Sonic managed to catch up to them and their chasers. He quickly balled himself into a spherical form and bounded to one of the monsters, coercively throwing its balance off and tripped back to the shadows to where it came from. Sonic didn't waste a second to homed in another enemy, doing the same thing, and another. Not long after, he uncurled and leaped back to his soles, satisfied of the outcome. The enemies weren't trailing after the two anymore and had vanished somewhere after they were dashed by the hedgehog's homing spin attack.

Amy and Cream relied on their senses other than their vision to know what was going on behind their hindsight. Once they realized that they've escaped away from danger, they slowed their pace into a halt, while their hero jumped down from midair and flashed to their side in an instant.

In a hurry, the pink being flung herself to the speedster, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she cried a bit, out of relief and from anxiety she bottled up from the start of their escapade.

"Oh, Sonic! We were so scared!" she frantically sniffed and backed away, looking at him with her teary eyes. "I thought we were goners when they gave chase, but thank Chaos that you showed up!"

While the pink female was busy being fussy, Cream looked on and bowed her head gratefully with a benevolent smile like always. "Thank you, Mr. Sonic. We couldn't have gotten away without your help."

Their hero can only smile lightheartedly as he attempted to calm the other down. Saying this, he was pushing her away with both hands on her shoulder, so she wouldn't cling to him further.

After Amy had gotten over her "frenzy", she backed away and looked over to Cream, then to Sonic.

"So, why are those creatures chasing you..?"

The rabbit shook her head, clearly dumbfounded. Amy remained silent, but her worried gaze was enough for the Mobian hedgehog to assume that she too has no clue. Sighing, Sonic gaped around their surroundings, guessing that they're not really far off from where he was originally heading to.

"You two, come with me. It's much more safer to stick in a group in case those monsters comes after you guys again."

The two female nodded before the trio took off once again, following the blue blur before them.

-x-

_Urgh__… __This kind of sucks._ The echidna flew another punch towards a similar looking enemy, taking step back before propelling another fist to his left, where a creature had almost scratched him with its extended claws.

While Sonic and his friends were busy dealing with their own happenings, Knuckles was also engaged in action. Right before he had disconnected on the line, creatures from the darkness started spawning around the altar and attacked him. Of course, the red echidna retaliated in fury, sending flurries of fists left and right. However, the enemies kept coming, eventually surrounding the guardian in all sides.

Knuckles clicked his tongue in annoyance, still hanging in there, clenched fists held up before him like a professional boxer, his violet orbs glinting.

When all hope seems lost, a bright light exploded above him and flashed for a second. Knuckles shut his eyes to obstruct the stream of glow before he glanced back up and zeroed in to a floating silver-furred body emanating a lime green aura.

"_Silver?!_" The echidna can only gape in astonishment before he was taken back to reality when one of the monsters emitted a loud screech that almost cost him an ear. Thankfully, it was silenced by the new arrival with a swift swipe of his hand, causing the creature to levitate from the ground and be jetted off from the island.

Silver the hedgehog aimed a smirk at the guardian below and let himself drift down at his side, his arms outstretched before him, ready to fight with the echidna. "Long time no see, Knuckles."

"Silver, what are you doing here?" Last time he remembered of him was a few years ago when they contested one another into a friendly brawl that resulted into a draw. Silver had helped out Sonic through that time when they were facing an enemy that triggered the first of the many apocalypse of the world. He supposed that the psychic runt would remain on his timeline after stopping the disaster, but here he is, making yet another appearance.

"I came back to tell you and Sonic something important," the other replied right after he resurfaced from his memories in seconds. "But before that, let's deal with these guys first, alright?"

"Heh," Knuckles chuckled under his breath, "Never thought I would fight alongside you, but we don't have a choice right now."

"Miracles only happen once, Knuckles." Smirked Silver as his palm flared with light green Chaos energy, forming into a power sphere.

With their backs facing one another, they poised once again for an attack, then let loose.

-x-

Anguished cries of defeated foes filled the night sky as Shadow laid waste on the clones, and the monsters that came from the waters, with merciless combination of gunfires and Chaos spears. Golden explosions extinguished the animated dark matter and illuminated from a distance, effectively marking the area as a "danger zone".

Sonic, Amy, and Cream spotted the light bursts from a distance, convinced that they know the being behind the display is currently battling. The blue speedster stepped up his velocity a notch, hurrying to the site in a span of a second, while Amy and Cream trailed a few minutes behind him before they too arrived at the designated location.

The blue hedgehog stopped short and casually peered around the smoky area, whistling at the mess that a particular black-furred grump hog caused. Upon seeing the mentioned individual standing amidst the destruction, he quickly approached him and called his attention.

"Yo, Shads!"

The black, red striped Ultimate Life-form twitched and glanced over his shoulder, his arms crossed on his torso. With his usual glaring expression, he watched his arch-rival close the distance between them with his crimson optics. He later noticed the arrival of the two females behind Sonic and rose a curious eye ridge, a questioning look soon replacing his angry features for a minute.

"Faker," he started as he jumped down from the massive, hardened structure that he had created some time earlier, and strode forward, meeting Sonic half-way. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"You know me, never a dull moment. Anyways, what happened here?"

Shadow merely shrugged and shifted his gaze indifferently. "Whatever. Some spawns got in my way, so I destroyed them…"

"Spawns? You mean, you met those creatures too?"

"If you're talking about the monsters coming from the ocean and shadow clones produced by this aggravating bastard, then yeah."

Now, it was Sonic's turn to question him, "Shadow clones? What and who are you talking about?"

Shadow flashed him an irritated, impatient glare. "None of your business. I'll take care of it, I don't need your help. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to."

He was about to take off when his rival side-stepped in front of him. Shadow narrowed his eyes bitterly, "Out of my way. I don't have time to play games with you."

Being a stubborn hedgehog that he is, Sonic shook his head and stood firmly on his ground. "Wouldn't you think that this is a good time to work together? I mean, c'mon! We would be able to finish this entire thing and deal with your stuff at the same time, like the last time we worked together."

Shadow scoffed and pushed him aside, brushing past him. His skates glowing of Chaos energy, indicating his take off. _The last thing that I want to do is to cooperate with Faker again!_ "The answer is still no. Now, farewell."

"Shads—!" Before Sonic can stop him, someone else does by calling him out.

"_Leaving so soon?_" From the direction where Sonic and the others had came from, a booming, gruff voice echoed into the area. Amy jumped in front of Cream, ready to defend her friend and herself, while Shadow and Sonic turned to the source of the voice.

A moment stalled between the group and the unknown figure before the object of their question stepped out from the shadows and revealed himself.

"Why don't you stay for the after party?~" A sniggering smile decorated his fawn lips as the stranger directed a hubristic look towards the group, specifically to the two hedgehogs. His emerald green fur bristled at the sight before him, quills slightly moving from the violent gale whipping from the coastline. A pair of sky blue orbs fiercely looked on to their horrified faces he had caused.

"Thought you've seen the last of me, eh?"

Sonic scowled at their newfound yet longtime enemy, his own quills standing up in reaction and fists curling tightly. "Scourge…" He audibly muttered the name of the being before them with such repulsion, which Shadow found uncharacteristic of him.

Scourge, his evil twin from another parallel zone, stood gallantly and bowed his head at the recognition. He flickered a wicked look to everyone who's present in the area and stepped to the side. Following after his appearance, another presence makes itself known to the flabbergasted company…

"_We__'__re not here to play games, Scourge__… __Take care of them immediately._" Next up, a crystallized form of a hedgehog bearing the same features as the bio-engineered life-form stepped forward and peered its dull green irises to Shadow.

The Ultimate Life-form was taken aback by its introduction, crimson meeting the emerald of something he hadn't expected to return after the hardship of taking it down.

"Mephiles…" Wordlessly, he gulped down a breath and observed in silence as another one emerged from behind of them.

"You two, don't forget that we're here for someone. You can eliminate the nuisances, aside from Sonic the hedgehog." Alcaeus had once again returned, surprisingly accompanied by unlikely allies of the evil. This time, he had made clear of his objective and with a pompous, confident smirk, he signalled the two to proceed with their mission.

Scourge was the first one to initiate his chains of multi-attacks, but was stopped shortly by Shadow midway, who had used Chaos Control and deflected his blows perfectly. As they hovered in the air for a couple of seconds, Scourge threw an impish smile before he bounded back down on his feet.

"Heh, not bad… But don't think you've figured me out just yet!"

Shadow landed back down right after and stood in front of Sonic unintentionally. Disdain contorted his face further as he heard him before he glanced over his shoulder, "It looks like they're after you, Faker. You better get moving or… What the hell are you doing?"

Sonic quipped back as he moved himself beside the annoyed hedgehog. "And miss out all the fun? No thanks, Shads. I'm not going to let you have all the party by yourself!"

_Oh, for Chaos__' __sakes. Don__'__t this annoying blue hedgehog know the term of_ danger _at all?_ "You.."

"_Sorry to interrupt your lovers__' __spat, but we__'__re in the middle of a fight here!_" Scourge snarled gleefully before he launched himself in the air again and curled into a spinning ball, his spines sticking dangerously outwards. He then set aim to the bickering hedgehogs down below, while the two faced him a moment too late before he sped towards their way.

-x-

**END OF ACT III**

A/N: Ha! Didn't expect that, didn't ya? Hoped you like the chapter and as always, thank you for reading!


	4. Act IV

A/N: Presenting you the next Act where shit starts to go down! Prepare yourself for another wild ride in Once More! Nothing much to say about this except, it was kind of annoying to write this since there was a lot of characters to move and express, but at least I managed through it! I hoped you like this and stay tune for more updates! Also, if you're curious, I've drawn/sketch what Alcaeus the Sibyl appears like in my dA account! Come and check it out!

Review(s):  
**BlazeCat221 **\- Thank you so much! Glad you like this little story. I say if we persevere and endure enough, we can totally write like 'pros'! (and by that I mean, letting your mind wander yonder and have the proper inspiration). ; _ ; I think I need a bit more work on my writing, so don't look up to me..

* * *

**IV**

**Act IV : Part I**

**~ True Chaos ~**

Sonic and Shadow both briskly backtracked from their original position as the green ball of spines shot out to them like a bullet. Nearly dashed by the emerald hedgehog, the two looked to one another and nodded. Sonic launched himself forward, spinning in midair and curling into a tight ball, while Shadow burned some Chaos energy into his skates, making them flare brightly, before he took off and attempted to land a roundhouse kick at their attacker.

Scourge smirked and readied himself, going into defence, his electric blue oculars flickering back and forth to the two heading his way. Already registering their signature moves, he side-stepped to his right as the blue blur charged his way, followed by ducking down to the ground till his body was parallel to the ground to avoid the flying boot aimed at his head area. As he dodged their combination, time seemed to slow down in between as the smirking green hedgehog jolted back up, and whirled a back fist out of nowhere to Sonic, who's still in midair; after that, he swung in his spot counterclockwise and shot his left leg out to direct a returning kick to Shadow's exposed abdominal area.

Time resumed again as he took action, the two caught off guard by his retaliation and didn't had enough time to retaliate. As a result, his counters met their target and flung them a couple of feet away, surely to leave some sort of bruise where it had made contact due to the immense force that was placed in those returns. Once he sent them flying, Scourge straightened his posture once more, his feral grin wide and displayed his joy at the demonstration. He clenched his fists firmly, chuckling to himself.

"I've grown powerful now, Sonic… Ya can't defeat me with those old tricks of yours! Same goes to you too, blackie!" cackled their foe as the pair groaned in pain after they managed to catch themselves on time as they were about to hit the terrain near the forest. Their feet had dug on the loose ground, skidding themselves to stop before they could topple down.

Sonic found himself breathless after the impact, gasping for air twice before he could regain his composure, yet his ribs screamed in agonizing silence. He winced visibly when he had attempted to stand up. Narrowed emerald orbs peered to his side to notice his partner in battle to be in more or less in the similar situation as him.

"Shads.. You okay?" _What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I feeling so weak all of a sudden with just one attack?_ He pursed his lips in annoyance to himself and to his enemy's jovial expression.

Shadow, meanwhile, slowly yet carefully stood up in one leg, huffing an irritated breath before glancing to the other from his side vision. He nodded once as he furrowed his eye ridges together in a deep expression. "Looks like we underestimated the bastard."

Sonic can only grin as he perceived the usual raw tone of the bio-engineered lookalike. Ignoring his own circumstances, he failed to notice the faint sign of what was causing his dwindling state.

"Heh, it's about time we get serious," the blue Mobian hero grinned, "No more Mr. Nice Guy."

"Agreed." Shadow formed his hands again into fists, bracing himself for an immediate counterattack.

Seeing their determination setting in their visages, Scourge can't help but let out a laugh before. His shoulders quaked as his booming, insane chortle echoed around him that made Amy and Cream tremble in fear, the pair cowering at their spot. Despite the bravado that Amy had showcased, she didn't forget and was completely aware the whole time of her own limited power, and somehow she knew deep within her, that she can't win against them in a battle. No matter how she dislikes the idea of just watching and doing what she can to protect herself and Cream, she can only rely on her friends who could actually stand a chance against the three.

For Sonic and Shadow, they merely glared at him and prepared to attack him again, this time doing a combo. Scourge, meanwhile, leered at them mockingly. He waited for them to make their move in anticipation, knowing what he would do at once.

There was a still moment in between before the trio exploded into action, dust and dirt were kicked into the air and the wind whooshed like mini tornadoes within their fray, dancing and stirring along with their blurry movements. Green, blue, and black with red all dashed before everyone's sight like ribbons as the combat lasted no more than a minute before the smoke had eventually cleared and the trio had emerged from their half-concealed brawl with dissatisfaction.

Scourge had now a couple of bruises and ruffled fur in some places where he was obviously been hit or grazed by something hot. He wore a mask of fury and hidden rage as he glared daggers towards the gasping duo.

It wasn't easy for Sonic and Shadow to land an impact on the green huffing creature, but they were certainly a bit gratified at the sight of what their actions had done. Beaming, the azure speedster was even more dishevelled and obtained more wounds, some blood actually can be spotted here and there. He wasn't staggering on his feet. Yet. It would take a lot more pounding before he could collapse and for anyone who knew the hedgehog, he wouldn't just let them have at it without expecting a strenuous fight from the other. Meanwhile, Shadow didn't sustained much injuries like Sonic, but the few bruises that actually got to him was apparent and showed their damage when he tried to move his limbs. He grunted in discomfort as he felt the familiar stinging pain and at the same time, felt his regeneration kicking in.

_This guy.. Is more and less like Sonic, but it__'__s obvious that he__'__s evil__… __Where did he come from?_ He took a swift glimpse to his side, crimson reflecting the condition of his counterpart. Well, at least, it's safe to say that these two idiots are both head strong and stubborn.. _If we keep going like this,__this idiot would harm himself more__…_

Wait. Why do I care? He shook his head out from his contemplations when his hyperactive senses alarmed him of the change of plight. And it's not good at all.

"Hmph.. You're taking way too long, Scourge…" hissed Mephiles the Dark as he proceeded to bound over to the huffing, aggravated hedgehog. "The… Master.. won't be happy if we are to delay any further."

"Whatever!" Scourge snarled viciously to his ally, yet he allowed the other to step forward and face the two.

Shadow scowled at them in exasperation while Sonic gave a slight frown at Mephiles joining the fight. It's obvious that the outcome of their struggle had drastically shifted into the other's favour. It was difficult handling Sonic's evil twin, taking the two of them to actually par with him, but now that another one has been added to the party, Sonic and Shadow both contemplated that it would be no easy victory for them.

Alcaeus continued to watch over them, acting as a spectator for now, his golden irises glazing over the group, mostly to Sonic. Recognizing the immediate distress showing in his face, the ebony hedgehog maliciously grinned. Victory will be ours, no doubt about that.. But there's something else that I need to do.

He glanced to the other two of his companions and his features instantly turned sour and calculating. "Let's see how strong are these two with the amplifiers." He raised his hand before him, revealing a device at hand with a red dial button adorning its grey surface. Without any delay, he pressed the button and smirked at the chain of reaction that it had initiated.

Scourge and Mephiles both trembled as if triggered by something. The accessories that were hidden away in the darkness now came into light, appearing into forms of bracelets like what Sonic had on his wrist, sterling silver trinket with bright verdigris gem on the centre began to glow ominously. In a flash, it would appear that nothing has changed, but the atmosphere around the two seemed to waver, the air crackling as their impressive power threatened to dominate the space they're in. Sonic and Shadow both grimaced, their mind setting into autopilot mode.

Scourge howled in ecstasy as he felt the power surging in his veins. He threw an elated sneer at the two, sensing their anxiety emanating from their features. "Oh yeah, baby! Let 'er rip!"

Mephiles can only relaxed back to his position, but something was definitely at work as he focused on the heroes. "Hmph. Make this at least interesting, Shadow…"

-x-

"Not if we can help it!"

"_Geronimo!__"_

As if to bring light to the grim situation, a couple of unlikely comrades burst out into the scene. A white encased with teal gleam flashed its way in front of the two hedgehogs in trouble, followed by a red ball of fur thundering behind it.

Sonic blinked his beryl optics to the newcomers poised before him in a defensive stance. Recognizing them at once, he looked at them in disbelief. At his side, Shadow groaned, both miffed at the idea that he would be requiring aid from am implausible acquaintance. He straightened his posture, despite the protests of his healing injuries, which seemed to be taking a long time to process.

"Hmph.. What makes you think we need your help," he voiced out begrudgingly, stepping forward as an attempt to brush them away from his path, but he was stopped in his tracks with a wave of their hand.

"Obviously just this once… You can't overpower them easily, Shadow," the echidna flashed him a serious look, their ally turning out to be a friend of Sonic, Knuckles. "I can faintly sense the power of one of the Chaos Emeralds on them."

"Knuckles is right." His companion agreed as he peered to his side, his topaz orbs aimed at the Mobian hedgehog. "There's something that I need to tell you, Sonic, but it looks like you need our help first."

Sonic released a deep sigh and nodded, the plight dawning on him slowly. "Yeah, thanks for the cover… They're powerful, so don't make light of them." He frowned as he readied himself.

Shadow grunted in complaint, but didn't say anything further, cluing at the words of the guardian. If what the echidna was true, then that explains the absurd power behind Scourge's counters.

_How the hell did I get into this mess again.._ Crimson orbs flickered to the source of their problem, the black-white quilled impostor standing just a couple feet away from their foe.

For Sonic, he put the question of Silver's presence in his timeline, and concentrated on the matter at hand.

"Let's go, guys. Let's show 'em what happens when they mess with our planet!"

"Alright!"

-x-

Half an hour passed, but to the hedgehogs and the echidna it felt like it's been forever. All were still standing on their feet, but they're shaking and obviously had received the bad end of their conflict. Yet, they didn't suffer and endured for nothing as they had in turn, managed to crippled Scourge into paralysis while Mephiles had shown indications of slowing down. Alcaeus gritted his teeth in anger, his hand grasping on the amplifying device. It was clear that he didn't anticipated the balance between their fight, even with the power of the Chaos Emeralds aiding his side. A "_tsk_" sounded from his lips as the ebon-white sibyl descended from his spot, landing behind the two. "Enough." _I never thought that I would use this, but this has gone too long__…_

He swept his impertinent glower to the panting blue speedster, who's standing in front of his friends in an attempt to at least protect them as they tried to catch their breath. The Ultimate Lifeform won't be having any of that, moving to Sonic's side instead. "Your friends are in trouble if you don't run away," he told the speedster beside him. "They are after you, don't forget that, so don't let them catch you this easily."

"Shadow.." Sonic flickered a tired look to the black-furred hedgehog before his mouth curved into a half-hearted optimistic smile, "Yeah, I know… Who knows what they'll feed me if they catch me. _Oh, the horror._"

"Shut your trap and get out of here, is what I'm saying, idiot Faker," Shadow snapped at his presented sarcasm before he took off from his side, dashing towards their enemy with a set look.

"Shadow!" Sonic was about to bolt after him, but he was stopped when Silver clasped his shoulder in vain.

"Sonic, don't. Let him handle this," Silver staggered to a standing position again and gave him a reassuring smile. "We'll back him up and clear an escape path for you."

Knuckles also hopped back to his own feet slowly and sauntered before his rival. He nodded in agreement with the white furred psychic and eyed the trailing form of the Ultimate Lifeform. "Yeah. Don't let them get to you, Sonic. We're still capable of fighting and I assure you that we're going to win this."

"Go now before they regain their strength."

"Sonic."

The Mobian cobalt blue hedgehog clasped his fists together, his eye ridges furrowing in deep frown at the idea of leaving his friends. Something is obviously wrong with him if he can't even at least keep up with Scourge, but he can't afford to think the fault of his own being when their enemies is dead set on capturing him, and if they don't achieve their mission, then his comrades will be forced to face the consequences. Biting his lip, his jade irises met the golden orbs of the time traveler and the amethyst hues of the guardian before shaking his head in refusal.

"Sorry guys, but running away isn't my style…" He fixated them a confident smirk, but it was evident that he's clueless of how to defeat their opponents. "Besides, I'm just getting started…" He briefly glanced down to the adornment on his wrist, recalling the event that transformed the Chaos Emerald into a piece of worn jewelry. He's not the only who has a Chaos Emerald…

"Silver, Knuckles, buy me some time, will ya?"

Both of his friends peered at him and raised an eye questioningly before they bobbed their heads in acknowledgement and faced their adversaries once again. Once they blasted off, following the artificial hedgehog's series of barrage, they each took their turns to combined their strikes together to make them more effective and damaging. In turn, Scourge and Mephiles returned each chains with their own, the green rebel whirling into a ball and stirring the malevolent winds into their favour, creating small tornadoes while, the crystallized form blasted a flurry of projectiles to their way, some flying indirectly to where Amy and Cream was. The pink hedgehog expertly hammered the ricocheted bombardment on their end, the rabbit helping her by moving to where the recoiling shells can't reach her.

Sonic saw the danger that Amy and Cream were; however, before he can respond to their help, Knuckles had foreseen their situation a minute before Sonic did and sped his way to their direction, knocking off the rebounding spheres of detonation from their trail. Seeing this, Sonic let out a sigh relief before he went back to concentrating his own natural Chaos energy within him and tried to infuse it with the sapphire Chaos Emerald in his grasp.

Meanwhile, Shadow was parring against Mephiles who kept pestering him with long range attacks. But he wasn't the least troubled by it. His enemy's open fire was met with his own Chaos Spears sourced from his own Chaos energy. The forces collided as they met and exploded, creating bursts of fire in the dim, cloudy skies, like fireworks.

Silver, in the other hand, was facing against Scourge, using his telekinetic powers to control and manipulate the objects that were stirred by the whirlwinds caused by the rebel. They seemed to be evenly matched, but it was clear that Scourge was getting the upper hand bit by bit as he continued to cause more unnecessary damage to the environment more than Silver had expected, resulting into a surrounding, relentless attacks.

The blue speedster watched this take place in his spot as he felt the ephemeral wild energy of the Chaos Emerald flowing through him. At this point, anyone who's capable of sensing the fluctuations of Chaos energy were subjected to notice the strong pull. Almost everyone who's in the battle, except for Amy and Cream, grew aware of the steady rising of Chaos energy level to where Sonic is. Alcaeus jeered in anticipation as his golden orbs had fixated on the blue figure.

_Finally!_

-x-

As the familiar energy pulsed into him like a tender heat wave, Sonic can only tremble and withstand the sheer intensity of the force streaming through his soul before…

_Wait.. What__'__s going on?_

**You****'****re mine!**

_What?! Ugh!__This is..! No!_

Sonic shuddered as he fell to his knees, wincing and groaning in agony as the golden light that surrounded him warped into a magenta hue. The fallen hero expelled a massive amount of force, the earth shaking below him as another tremor passed through the area accompanied by the discordance happening within the blue hedgehog and the Chaos Emerald. Sinister gales sprung forth and collided with the natural winds surrounding the place. Everyone had their gaze on Sonic as they beheld the sight before him.

Slowly, but surely, they remarked on the transformation that the hedgehog in question is going through. At that mark, Alcaeus made his move.

Shadow and Silver perceived the movement of their enemy as Scourge and Mephiles noted the impending charge of their assigned leader. The rebel grinned maliciously while his companion hovered in the air. Both followed suit, heading to Sonic. Shadow and Silver gave chase hurriedly. Not a moment too soon, they caught up with the two, leaving Alcaeus in the lead.

Scourge bounded over to the side, growling in irritation as Shadow attempted to tackle him. Silver got ahold of Mephiles as he used his powers to effectively halt the trek of the crystalline form.

"You're not getting anywhere!" Silver held on to the struggling form as he flickered his determined gaze to Shadow, "Shadow! That one..!"

Shadow frowned as he turned his head away from Scourge. "Shoot!" He immediately departed from the rebel's sight as he darted back in pursuit after the sibyl. The green hedgehog was about to follow, but was stopped by a swift side punch from out of nowhere. His face turned to the other side, the force strong enough to topple him to the ground.

"You're staying where you are, Scrounge " the red echidna cracked his knuckles as he stood over the surprised hedgehog. The rebel shrugged off his confusion easily and jumped back into position, snarling furiously.

"It's _King_ _Scourge_, bitch!" He quipped back angrily as he charged towards the new contender.

Ahead of them, Alcaeus can practically snag the bewildered hedgehog in a few seconds, but he found himself pulling back as he picked up the thundering blaze of Shadow's skates behind him. Clicking his tongue in impatience. He swiftly turned to face him as he skidded into a stop, the soles of his boots treading harshly to the hard ground. He straightened his posture and prepared to take down the self-proclaimed Ultimate Lifeform.

"You never cease to amaze me with your perseverance, Shadow…" Alcaeus growled, throwing him a sharp glare, before he whipped out his weapon in plain view. A scornful smirk crossed his features, bright amber eyes reflecting the gleaming weapon in his hand, which was a short double-edged dagger with a red hilt. Strange engravings covered its side and glimmered under the faint light as he brandished it skillfully while Shadow poised for a launching attack.

"But it ends here now." The ebony furred foe relaxed, at the same time Sonic screamed in affliction, his wail echoing like a dismal alarm.

"AAAAH!"

-x-

His cry caused every heads to turned to its source except for the Alcaeus who's wearing a cocksure expression. There was a moment of silence before an outbreak occurred behind him where Sonic was, flames and rubble erupting from the terrain and surrounded the area in a hazy smoke. Once it was clear again, Shadow cautiously moved his glance behind his opponent, his ruby optics finding the malefic figure of his doppelgänger standing behind Alcaeus hauntingly.

Alcaeus huffed a breath and turned to where Scourge and Mephiles were, snapping his fingers, "Our job here is done…" _That went smoothly as I__'__ve expected.. Now.._

The two whom he had mentioned perked their heads in attention almost automatically as Alcaeus motioned for them. The pair throwing one last glower to their opponents before they made their escapades from their foes. Scourge darted out of from Knuckles' aim and rolled to his left, evading him altogether and sped his way to where the ebon hedgehog is, while Mephiles simply broke loose from Silver's invisible grasp and teleported in the same location.

Shadow stepped forward, sensing the recognizable dark aura of the Chaos energy emitting from Sonic. Damn… How did this happen?!

-x-

**Act IV : Part II**

**~ Rise of the Darkness ~**

In lack of better word, the Mobian heroes weren't fairing well as one would hope. Not only because of the strong enemies before them that caused the dawn of the apocalypse, but also at the emergence of a new formidable enemy from their fallen ally. From all of them, only Shadow, Silver and Knuckles knew the sudden turn of events and the potential catastrophe that would follow after.

Right when they were going to burst into action once again, a familiar voice calls out from above, sounding over the maelstrom and the whirring of engine.

"_Sonic!__"_

Shadow flitted a glance to the dark heavens above his head and saw the blue biplane of a certain kit gliding from the direction of the other coastline. Silver and Knuckles flashed a look to one another before they stormed to their foes' way, determined to retrieve their friend back. The Ultimate Lifeform took off his eyes from the flying plane and followed after the two, his skates blasting golden Chaos energy, propelling himself forward.

Tails, aboard and piloting the Tornado, had at last arrived to the location that he was supposed to meet Sonic, Cream, and Amy, but somewhat dismayed at the ordeal happening below him. Questions and confusion flooded his racing mind, but paid no heed to it as a single thought passed through his processors and that was to save his friends. Firmly grasping the stick of his plane, he lowered his altitude and tried to land somewhere near and deserted. The plane began to tip down until it was appropriate to land safely beside the lush forest, where Amy and Cream were hiding. Once the fox made his landing as quick as he can, he jumped off from his seat and onto the sandy terrain that were left unaffected by the turmoil. He spotted the two girls hiding behind the bushes, out of harm's way, and the scorched landscape of the bay… Or what was left of it after what the group had done to the place. He could already tell that his comrades didn't fight an easy war, and it would seemed that they're not done yet.

Concurrently, Shadow and the others were dashing left and right as they continued their battle with their opponents; Shadow taking on Alcaeus, Silver against Mephiles, and Knuckles facing Scourge. The fair-furred fox observed them for awhile before drawing out his weapon of choice, set into joining the fray to rescue his friends. Though he's aware that he can't do much, he hopes that they would emerge victorious in numbers. After he made the decision of joining in, he charged forward and headed to where his friend is, wanting to make sure first of his condition. He had noticed that the blue hero wasn't in a state of fighting, failing to see the abnormality around his friend.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow detected the kit approaching the unconscious form of the speedster. As Alcaeus attempted to swipe at him with his dagger to his torso, the artificial hedgehog lurched back and jumped before he accelerated past his enemy and to the space between Tails and Sonic. Discerning the pattern of his movements, Alcaeus turned his heel back and leaped after Shadow.

As Tails was about to approach the still figure of his best friend, he paused in his steps and reached towards the "sleeping" blue hedgehog. Almost in an instant, he retracted his arm back as he felt a stinging pain running across his outstretched arm. Horrified and confused, he glanced up to his friend to see what was up, only to find in a blink of an eye that Sonic wasn't.. "Sonic" anymore.

_Oh no__…_ His cerulean oculars mirrored the familiar darkened fur of the once cobalt blue hedgehog. His quills are flared up and at this time, his dark aura that has been emitting for awhile now became noticeable to a naked eye. The fox immediately backtracked before he was swept away by a particular dark pelted hedgehog.

"It's best if you don't approach him for now," Shadow huffed as he landed back down a couple feet away from his bewitched counterpart. He put the kit down and faced Sonic once more, while the others took were busy dealing with the troublesome duo of evil. Alcaeus was yet again by the dark blue's side, smirking victoriously before the other two retreated to his side at once. Knuckles and Silver also did the same as they went to where Shadow and Tails were swiftly. The two conflicting sides intensely gazed at one another, sparks can be seen between them before the assumed conspirator of the armageddon stepped forward and flicked his wrist.

Suddenly, the air pressure dropped magnificently and there was a wild turbulence. The trio and Sonic started to hover in the air and were lifted up by a strange, unknown force, the gravity and other physics laws bending to their will as they floated.

Golden orbs flickered to Shadow and company, who watched in horror, as they steadily ascended to the skies. "I hope this is the last time that I see your face, Shadow.. Sonic will be the one to end this world and shall be the key to ultimate destruction of all universes!"

"It's no use stopping us and your fated doom," Mephiles hissed as Scourge beside him cackled at their win and the apparent mixed emotions of fear and anxiety displaying on the heroes' faces.

"Haha! All hail to the king, baby! This is it for this world!"

The Ultimate Lifeform can only stand by with the fellow Mobian heroes as the trio and Sonic vanished from their sight in a flicker of light. There was a moment of silence before Tails collapsed to the ground and Silver clenched his fist in defeat. Knuckles gritted his teeth and punched a boulder nearby, the surface breaking into several cracks before it exploded from the harsh impact.

"Dammit!"

With their friend taken away just like that, the group was left with nothing but crushed hope and trepidation. Amy and Cream eventually came out from their hiding, witnessing the entire conflict and its aftermath from the sidelines. They strode to where Tails is, their first instinct is to comfort the confounded fox, but even then they knew that nothing they say will soothe him from his shock. For Silver, he merely looked on to the group, saddened at the conclusion of their battle. They fought long and hard to stop them, but to no avail.

_Is this really the future that this world chose..?_ He contemplated in silence, his gaze flitting to Knuckles, who's having a hard time to contain his frustration and instead, venting it out to the poor rubble lying close by. This is such a devastating loss… What do we do now..

"We don't have time to mope around."

Silver looked to the one who spoke up in a serious tone. Shadow turned to them with, eye ridges set.

Knuckles heard him and stopped, slowly facing him with an infuriated look before checking himself in, before answering, "Right… We need to save Sonic and teach those bastards a lesson.." Saying this, he pounded both of his curled fists together.

Shadow nodded in confirmation. _Well, at least one of them isn__'__t as crestfallen as the rest__… __Now._

"First we need to know where they've taken him. Which means, we need to go to the only source of information that we know…"

Silver stepped forward as Tails seemed to come back from his reverie. Resolve began to set on the group as they turned to Shadow, gaping at him as he assumed the being in charge. With Sonic gone, it's not like they're not capable of handling the saving the world matters, but often they need someone to be the acting "leader" for support and assurance. Sonic was their source of assertion and a go-to hedgehog if they require help. Although Shadow reflected a bit of the bitter side, their aptitude and sense of loyalty to protecting Mobius is almost alike.

They all gathered around and looked to one another. Amy and Cream both wanted to know what's going on, lost of what they're going to do.

"Right, but who's this source of information you're talking about?" Amy piped up.

"GUN, of course," Shadow replied, crossing his arms, "They're stationed not too far from where we are, but I don't think it's safe to travel on land." At this moment, he glanced to Tails, who caught up on what he's referring.

The genius kit nodded, "My plane has enough seats for all of us."

"Shadow, it's best if we share some information firsthand before we make any sudden moves," Silver joined in as Knuckles stepped behind him, agreeing.

"Yeah, I've already told Sonic and Tails about what I've perceived from the Master Emerald, and it might help shed light in our situation."

The Ultimate Lifeform bobbed his head casually as the group started on their way to the Tornado. As they hurried to their transportation, Shadow mildly contemplated the events in his head, pondering of what Alcaeus is planning. For some reason, the image of his nightmare last night kept replaying in his thoughts like an old film.

_This is starting to make a lot sense, but at the same time, I__'__m as lost__… __Why is Sonic important to them? And what__'__s__the reason of their takeover__…_

I hope the GUN and Rouge managed to get some useful information.

-x-

**End of Act IV**

A/N: Dun dun duuuuun! Dark Sonic makes his appearance! Or is it 'someone' else? Well, we'll just have to find out next chapter! Thank you for reading!


	5. Act V

A/N: Here you go! Act V is here and boy, was this fun to write. No, seriously. I really liked this one! More details and the plot is actually moving forward, woohoo! In any case, we get to see a bit of Alcaeus's motivation and some other things as well (hint hint Super Sonic and Sonic Riders reference). I hope you enjoy this installment and as always, thanks for reading!

Review(s):  
**Guest: **Haha! Amy to the rescue! (maybe~)  
**Moe43: **Yes! And it's just going to get good later on! WOO, hurray for Sonic games references!

* * *

**V**

**Act V : Part I**

**~ Calm ~**

"_Shadow… I beg of you.. Please! Give them a chance… For all the people who live on the planet … Let them live their dreams… I know you can do it." _

"_Maria!" No, no, no! I won't lose you! Not like this! _

"_Open this door, Maria! Please!" _

"… _Shadow… Goodbye." _

_There was a click. He stopped pounding against the glass as he watched in horror as the fair headed female outside his escape pod, smiled at him with such kindness. _

Just before the awful discharge of a pistol, the artificial hedgehog flickered his crimson orbs back to reality, resurfacing from his memories. The gentle hum of the machine around him had pulled him out of his trance, recalling the events that had taken place that led to his current situation. Releasing a deep sigh, his optics wandered to the other members that were on the plane.

While he had taken the top left wing of the biplane, Silver had chosen the right, while Knuckles hung back, just behind the passenger seats where Amy and Cream were occupying. Tails, meanwhile, remained the pilot of the vehicle. Silence and restlessness weighed down on the group as they headed for their destination, which was the temporary base location of the GUN army.

Right when they spotted the headquarters, Shadow's wrist communicator blipped to life, indicating that a new message has been received. The owner peered down to the device and pressed the mini touch screen, the message flickering on the small monitor.

_It's… Rouge? It's about damn time! Where has she been! _

He fumed silently at the side as he read the message, his ruby orbs widening as he skimmed through it. The visuals of their enemy's base, her ordeal, and proceeding ahead without any backup. He gritted his teeth after he finished reading. _Damn it… Rouge. _

He glanced to where the psychic was, recalling that he's withholding information also from the future that concerns their predicament.

"Up ahead, there seemed to be a commotion going there," Tails alerted them as the sight of their landing-place came into view. He started to lower the altitude, picking a close but open space to land his plane. Meanwhile, beneath them, some military personnels have already seen the incoming blue biplane and signalled the others about its arrival. Upon recognizing the familiar aircraft of their heroes, they immediately cleared a path for them to land near their heli pad.

Tails noticed their preparation and quickly swerved, steering to the lights where they are waving him to dock. Doing so, he didn't had so much trouble further. Once the engine died down, they all disembarked from their places and were welcomed rather warmly by the people.

However, for the creatures… It's apparent that they're disheartened and sombre. The heaviness of their feelings hung like a miasma around them at the loss of their blue hero, but there was a flicker of hope and strength to form a plan to rescue their friend and save the world from the impending doom. The black armed men showed them the way, sensing the seriousness of their gang.

As they made a beeline to the inner quarters of the base, Shadow urgently and politely shooed the curious bystanders who wanted to talk to them, saying that they're in a hurry and doesn't have a lot of time. Most of them understood of the gravity of their plight, and left them to their own, but some stood by around the corners, watching them in the darkness.

The area was mostly camped with pitched tents and a couple of massive temporary warehouses constructed from waterproof tarps and advanced wood crafts stabilized by iron rods. There were tanks and other assorted weapon armaments stationed almost around the resting settlement where the men laid back after a day's worth of combat. The entirety of it appeared more like it had came out from a typical Hollywood action movie.

It didn't take them long to find the pavilion that housed the officials of the GUN, including Commander Daniels. Shadow strode in, brushing past a secretary who had attempted to stop him on his way, telling him that the Commander is in the middle of an important meeting. Of course, he ignored her warnings, and went through and entered without a second thought; Sonic's friends followed him, Amy apologizing to the confused woman by the post.

"Commander, we have an urgent matter to talk about," said the Ultimate Lifeform, storming into the said meeting. His austere gaze took in the sight before him before he found the person he was looking for, gaping straight back at him with an equal intensity.

"Shadow, I've been expecting you," the old male started as his consorts looked to one another before they were dismissed by a wave of his hand. Swiftly, they up and left the tent, leaving Shadow and the group with the key figure of the GUN.

"Commander," Shadow began again as he approached the other with a firm look, "Have you gotten any further intel regarding about the enemy?"

Commander Daniels briefly took a glimpse to his companions before his eyes settled on to the dark furred being before him. There was a moment of silence before he turned to the table, where a couple of gadgets were lying around, one of them being a small laptop. He pressed a button and a live screen popped out to the opposite wall, a beam of light projecting from the top part of the device.

The monitor showed Rouge traversing the skies, the beat of her wings and the turbulent winds muffling half of what she was saying. But overall, she was saying the same message and importing the very same talk and image of what she had sent to Shadow. After the recorded transmission was over, another minute of quietness settled on the group, the screen having froze on the gigantic, levitating grid-like structure that was assumed to be the fortress of their present foe.

Knuckles was the one who broke the silence. "What are we still waiting for?! Let's go and crush them! We know they are hiding already, so what are we standing around for?" His impatient tone wasn't enough to display his aggressiveness, vexed of the awkwardness of it all. He crackled his knuckles, emphasizing his determination and fighting attitude.

"Knuckles, hold on," Tails tried to calm the guardian down, a worried yet understanding look crossing his face, "We need to plan first."

"We don't have time to do that when the world is at stake, Tails! We gotta go now, or else this planet is doom! Not to mention, I can't imagine what they're doing to Sonic right now…"

"Knuckles, Tails is right," Silver chimed in, clasping the shoulder of the echidna tightly, "We can't just break in without a backup plan in case we get captured too… If we go ahead right now without thinking through this, then we're going to be defeated… Besides, we haven't shared our information yet." When he mentioned this, he glanced to Shadow's direction.

The red echidna was about to protest again, but bit back his words, knowing that he's right. He grunted to the side, crossing his arms stubbornly, "Fine… Let's make this quick."

"Right." Silver sighed, retracting his hand from his shoulder and folded his arms in front of his torso, closing his eyes before opening them again. "I guess, I'll go first."

The rest nodded as they turned their attention to Silver, even the Commander, who had not yet met the speaker.

"It all started one day," the psychic began, "No one had seen it coming. _His _arrival was abrupt and sudden. Everyone was too busy catching up with the repairs and recovery, we were all trying our best to stand right up after the disaster of Iblis…

"This creature… No, this being, came from another world. That much I could tell. It arrived in what we had saw before. That floating fortress is more than what it looks. It's capable of defending itself a-and.." he stammered as if he's attempting to find the next word for his explanation, "It held some sort of weird power that enables it to influence the air pressure and gravity around it, so nothing can get past it or attack it from the outside… Or even within a hundred kilometres from it."

Tails rose a curious brow as Amy and Cream glanced to each other, bewildered by his story. Meanwhile, Knuckles and Shadow listened intently with a contemplative expression. Silver pressed on.

"Who knows which world it had came from, but I was sure that it will only bring trouble and sorrow for the people who had enough of sadness. Blaze and I tried to stop it, but to no avail. We were weak, and we were greatly outnumbered by its dark minions. We tried to find its weakness, but that too proved to be ambitious and we were left only to find the answers in the past…" He paused, lowering his gaze to the floor, taking a deep breath first before speaking again in a low tone, "The other thing was… The reason why we can't also defeat it easily, aside from its numbers and the weird power around it was not the only appearance of that green hedgehog and Mephiles… But also, because of…" He trailed off again, refusing to say any further.

"It's Sonic, wasn't it..?" Knuckles finished as he stared at him in all seriousness before the white furred time traveler nodded reluctantly.

"No, it can't be!" Amy suddenly cut in with a soft cry, her hands over her mouth afterwards as if she can't simply believe that her beloved hero would be capable of such a thing. "It has to be a lie!"

Knuckles frowned and jerked his head to the side, "I received a vision that is more or less like what Silver had told us… The Master Emerald showed me Sonic being consumed by dark energy and causing destruction in our planet…" He peered to the psychic, "After what you told us, I think I'm starting to piece what's going on.. But this leaves us with more questions, if anything…" He sighed in frustration.

"What happened to the Master Emerald, Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked, giving him an anxious stare.

"I smashed it to pieces before those damned dark creatures got ahold of it."

"You wouldn't think that they're after the Chaos Emeralds, right…?"

A pause. They all gazed at one another before they turned to Tails, as if he knows the whereabouts of the gems. The kit took a step back and shook his head as he waved his hands in front of him, indicating that he doesn't have the faintest idea. But the guess made him think about what Sonic had told him about the odd bracelet that he had won earlier.

"Chaos Emeralds.. Now that you mention it," Tails pursed his lips, a pensive look casting on his face. "Sonic mentioned that he had won a Chaos Emerald in a race with someone who wanted to set the apocalypse on this world. The stone then attached itself to his wrist like a piece of jewelry since then…"

"Yeah, he did mentioned that when we were talking…" Knuckles muttered under his breath, the memory resurfacing from the back of his mind.

Tails continued, his demeanour growing earnest and analytical. "During the battle earlier, I've also noticed that when he was trying to draw strength from the Emerald… It wasn't giving off a positive energy… Instead— It was providing him raw, dark energy. At that point, I came to a sudden conclusion that Sonic didn't obtain the _real _Chaos Emerald."

Silver cocked his head to the side, confused, "You mean…"

Shadow gave out a deep sigh, obviously not liking the turn of the events. "It was a fake Emerald…" _That explains why he was like that._ — _This is proving to be harder and more complicated than I thought… _"What we need to do is to conduct an investigation and to scout the location first before we make any moves…"

-x-

"_What?!" _Knuckles almost screamed in disbelief as he heard the black hedgehog's words. "You gotta be kidding me!"

However, it was enough to make Amy and Tails flinched in surprise while Cream stepped back in instinctual fear. Shadow remained unfazed by the other's outburst while Silver hung back and watched the two with a grim look, ready to step in if things get out of hand. The last thing they need was an internal conflict among their allies.

"You heard me, knucklehead," Shadow scowled at the guardian, "We're going to do a recon mission to know more about our enemy, and before you can say anything about how this is just stalling time—" He walked up to him and threw him a challenging glare. "I would like to see you lose more time when you storm in there without a plan and be killed, captured, or what have you."

The echidna growled at the back of his throat, returning the glare with equal intensity. Deep down, what the Ultimate Lifeform was saying was right. With great difficulty, he merely brushed the other away and retreated from the scene, exiting the pavilion without a word.

An uncomfortable silence filled after his wake before Tails stepped up and gaped at the fuming hedgehog, "D-Don't worry… He got the point and know what's up. He'll get around eventually."

A "tsk" sound escaped his lips in retort as he peered to the fox and sighed, "He's free to do whatever he want if he wants to, no one is stopping him." Saying this, he glanced to the rest of the group then to Silver, recalling something from his short story. "Anyways, moving on… Silver, can you go in more detail about this weird power around the fortress?"

The white furred psychic perked his head up, "Ah, yes… Well, like I've said, it held some sort of power that could shift the gravitational pull around the area. Whenever we get close to it, Blaze and I would get nauseous and dizzy from the lack of air. This power was also strong against missiles and other projectiles. It just back fires to its owner."

"A change in gravitational pull, huh… It sounds familiar.." Tails tapped his chin in deep thought before gasping, the answer dawning on him.

And it looks like Amy had gotten it also.

The two revealed it in unison.

"_Zero gravity!" _

-x-

The fox and the pink hedgehog turned to one another, the kit was more so shocked that the female knew about such a thing. Yet, before he can ask, Amy already responded with a casual, sheepish grin.

"Amy and Cream were about to travel to Future City before we were chased by those creatures," she said, Cream gazing at the others, nodding her head. "I was invited by Dr. Pickle to help him in a research about a certain stone that has powers to affect the gravity. When I heard about it, there's no doubt in my mind…"

"The Ark of Cosmos…" Tail ended. _I can't believe that they resurfaced again…_

Shadow and Silver rose their eye ridges curiously. The artificial hedgehog interrupted the two's revelation, lost at what they're discussing.

"A stone that is capable of shifting gravity…?" _I find that hard to believe… But coming from the fox, it can't be a lie. _"Care to share what you meant?"

Tails and Amy nodded. They talked their current knowledge pertaining to the stones that had appeared a year ago and almost caused a near catastrophic event. Shadow, Silver and the Commander gathered around them, heeding their attention to the pair…

"As far as we know, there are a total of five stones and a master unit that operates together. Nothing much is known about the cores, but legends say that the ancient Babylonians created them to power the warp drive of this star ship called Astral Babylon, which is now called the Babylon Garden.

"Later on, they discovered that they can't control their powers so they sent them away to the space, forever orbiting Mobius, until a year ago. They fell down from the stratosphere, and almost caused an apocalyptic disaster… And well, things happened and they were returned to their rightful place."

Shadow nodded in understanding, piecing the information in his head like a puzzle piece. "So, this things called the Ark of Cosmos… Are there any more hard proof information about it aside from the legends?"

Tails shook his head, "There's really nothing much that I could say besides their source."

"They were believed to be a great, powerful energy source. At least, that's what the Professor said," Amy sighed.

"Is there anyone else who knows about these core units?" the light-haired hedgehog inquired.

There was a deep silence following after his question, before Tails answered in a hesitant tone.

"Definitely Jet. Jet the Hawk. He's the current leader of the Babylonian Rogues, and I believed he mentioned that he's a direct descendant from the ancient Babylonians."

"Jet the Hawk," Shadow reiterated, "Do we know his whereabouts?"

"He's supposed to be staying in the Future City. He was probably invited to the same convention."

Silver peered to Shadow then to Tails, "Great! We can meet him in the Future City and attend the convention too! Shadow, we can get more information about the source of their energy before we scour their base."

Shadow bobbed his head mutedly, turning to the human, "Commander, what are your plans now?"

The older suited male frowned before responding, putting his hands behind his waist and swivelled his heel to the blank monitor. "Next dawn, we're going to try and approach the enemy's base and test this defence system that we had discussed. I'll send you more details about it through the communicator."

"Got it."

"In the other hand, why don't you and your friends rest here for the night and depart next morning? I don't think it's best to leave this place when you're all exhausted for the day."

Amy instantly jumped into an agreement, throwing a concerned look to Tails and Silver. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's rest here for awhile and recuperate our strength. I highly doubt anyway that they're going to make any sudden moves anytime soon…"

Silver and Tails grimaced, releasing a deep sigh before glancing to Shadow, hoping that he would consider the option presented to them. Feeling their boring gaze on him, he let out a grunt and waved his hand dismissively.

"Suit yourselves." Without another word, he left the scene, planning to head outside. On his way out, he saw Knuckles talking to some of the GUN men, some of them entertaining him when they spotted him to be in a bad mood. One of the personnels met the hedgehog's eye contact, but he shrugged them off and continued on his way…

-x-

**Act V : Part II**

**~ I Am… All of Me ~**

Alcaeus stood alone in the seemingly expansive dark space. His features were only highlighted by a faint light coming from the endless ceiling above him, setting a rather sombre mood in the area. His golden orbs gave a dim glow as he gazed at a grimy stone longingly…

"_Alcaeus, let's race who gets to win the Diamond!"_

"_Heh, you're on. Just don't come crying to me when you lose."_

"_Hey! That's no fair!" _

"_Life's not fair, haha!" _

He slowly clenched his fist around the dusty diamond that triggered his past, a frown slowly setting in on his visage.

_Life isn't fair.. at all… _He flashed his yellow hued optics to the ceiling, seeing the luminous light source flickering ever so slightly, as tiny minuscule gleaming bioluminescence orbs started to "snow" down on him.

"I swear… I'll get my revenge," he whispered to the empty, murky air, "My dear friend.. Aviyrs."

"Oi, Alcaeus," Scourge emerged from out of the corner of his eye, assuming that he had entered the chambers, unaware of his wanted solitude. Sighing, Alcaeus forcibly resurfaced from his memories and threw a scowl at the green Anti-Mobian rebel.

"Has he awakened yet?" he inquired to the beryl-haired hedgehog, to which the other had returned the same gesture and huffed an annoyed breath.

"He's coming to.. But there's a slight problem," Scourge crossed his arms and tapped his foot lightly beneath him, studying the ebony alien hedgehog closely, "… It looks like he doesn't remember anything… Heck, he doesn't even remember what happened to him. What's going on?"

There was a still moment between them, the question hanging in the air precariously before he replied with a deep sigh, "It's all part of the plan. I've anticipated this, so don't worry about it."

"Oh, really now? I didn't hear about this last time," growled the miffed self-proclaimed king, "There's something you're not telling us—"

Before he can end his accusation, he found himself unable to continue, his throat closing up on him and an invisible force forcing the air out of his lungs. He coughed and choked in protest, struggling from the overwhelming power that had taken ahold of him. He grasped at the nothingness, arms flailing wildly before he had regained his composure and felt the strange power leave him, heavily gasping for air. He pointed a dangerous, threatening frown at the perpetrator, Alcaeus, who had steadily lowered his arm and rest it at his side.

"Just follow my orders and I guarantee your safety and your beloved cohorts…"

Scourge growled, snarling at him with utmost hatred, "Why, you…"

"Check yourself before you do anything you'll regret…" Alcaeus pressed on, his firm look unwavering against his angry glare.

The green Anti-Mobian clicked his tongue, regaining his composure, turning his back on him and walking out without another quip.

When he had left, Alcaeus glanced over his shoulder, his peripheral vision and sharp senses picking up another looming presence within the area.

"So… This is all for revenge, huh," Mephiles shuffled into view, a dark purple aura emanating from his crystalline form like always. The ebon leader faced him with an unsatisfied look.

"Mephiles.."

"Don't group me in with that idiot, unlike him.. I understand your position," The dark being stepped closer to Alcaeus and dropped to one knee in a humble position, "I will continue to support you, in gratitude for bringing me back to life, Alcaeus the Sibyl…"

The regarded white fur-chested sable-furred hedgehog was, taken by surprise, of how the other had acted. When he had knelt down, he had taken a step back, a look of bewilderment crossing his visage before he calmed himself down.

He looked to his left, and turned away from Mephiles, unsure of how to return his gesture. "… Leave me be. Keep an eye on our captive and report back if there are any changes."

Mephiles briefly nodded as he stood up and walked back to where he had came from, his figure melting away to the crepuscule.

Once he was truly alone, Alcaeus shut his eyes closed, shaking his head.

_For the sake of Aviyrs and my world… I must persevere… No matter what happens, I will find Kronos and put an end to this miserable planet! _

-x-

A few hours earlier…

Somewhere else, Sonic appeared to be trapped in some sort of prison cell. His room was bare with nothing but the white fortifications, a small bed and a small sink attached to the pristine, marble white panel. There's no windows or doors, yet there's a small red light at the upper part of the north wall, marking the unseeable opening of his containment.

For the blue hedgehog, it looked like nothing was taken from him. His shoes and gloves are still intact, while the new addition to his look, the very same bracelet that made him go berserk, was left untouched.

It has been a few hours since he was thrown into where he was. He was unconscious the entire time while his body was carried to the unknown base of the trio that captured him. Within his confinement, there was no way to tell the current time. One would have to rely to their internal clock to be aware of their position, but even with that, they would still be left disoriented and disconnected from the outside world.

Time marched on and so did the silence in his prison till the Mobian hero began to show signs of coming around. His emerald orbs fluttered open, seeing double vision at first before the fluorescent light made him flinch from its whiteness. He slowly sat up against the wall, realizing that he had been lying on a bed. In a daze, he attempted to recall that put him into this situation, but to his shock, he can't.

"What.. What's going on..? I can't remember anything!" He snapped his head around, furiously glancing around for any clues, but the emptiness merely stared back at him. Slowly but clearly, fear and confusion began to dawn on his features. He hopped off from his position, wobbling back a bit at the sudden dizziness that struck him when his feet touched the ground, but he caught himself on the edge of the bed.

When he stabilized his balance and focused his sight on the floor, the blue speedster lifted his gaze to his deserted small box that he's encased in.

_Where am I… Why am I here? The last thing I remembered was.. talking to Tails and Knuckles about something…? Weird, what's this "something"? _He gritted his teeth, attempting to salvage his thoughts in order, before he winced visibly as he hit an invisible wall in his mind… A _solid, encroaching _wall.

He held the sides of his head in horror, stumbling back. "No.. No…" _This is NOT happening! _

**Hahaha! Serves you right! **

_Huh? Who's there! Oh, now I'm going crazy too. _

**You've been always the odd ball, Sonic. Hehehe, I'm hurt, you know~ You've forgotten me, haven't you..?**

_Who are you! Show yourself! _

**You can't see me, but you can feel me.. Can't you tell…?~ I've been here all along. Watching you from the shadows… Waiting, bidding my time… And here I am~! Hahahaha! I have to thank that little Shadow impostor for bringing me out~. **

**Hey, Sonic… Think about it… I don't think you've forgot me..**

The voice echoed with amusement and glee, his words would be tangled with snickers and jabs here and there. Yet, the source wasn't outside Sonic's field of vision… It's coming within him. Inside his head, to be more specific. The blue perturbed hedgehog had swiped a brief look around him before he shut his eyes, realizing that it was coming from his thoughts.

… _No way. It's you… _

**Hm?~ Have you realized yet? **

Within the encompassment of his free, sky-illustrated mind, he stood first in solitude, his consciousness transferring to the inner workings of his soul; his own untouched personal deep space.

Jade optics leisurely took a gander of the familiar environment before he felt a presence before him. He glanced to its way and his eyes widened in astonishment.

Before him, was another of himself… However, there are some few differences. First of all, he's golden. As if he had taken Sonic's Super Form, yet instead of those hazelnut eyes, they were replaced by crimson swirls. His quills were more unkempt and fiercer looking.

_You're my Super Form…? _

The golden being waved a finger and shook his head, while clicking his tongue disappointedly.

**You're close.. But nope! O woe… You really had forgotten me. And even after all the times I've helped you when you were in trouble… Well, I can't blame you anyways since you're an idiot most of the times… **

The crazed alternate being neared the other, who's getting irritated every second that passed. He emitted a snort and brushed the other's indignation as he swept an arm in front of his torso and bowed eloquently as if he were presenting himself to a royalty.

**But, it's better late than never… Anyways, I'm Fleetway. You may refer to me as Super Sonic, but really… I prefer Fleetway to separate myself from you. **

**A pleasure to finally meet you, right, Sonic?**

-x-

Later on, back to the GUN temporary base in the Emerald Coast, Shadow was seen somewhere near the harbour, standing all alone on the wooden port, gazing at the setting moon over the horizon. Despite the after effects of the booming lights from the invaders, the day and night cycle still carried on with just the dark mist obscuring the skies. With all what had happened so far, it felt like it's been ages that the artificial life-form had gotten a time alone for himself, though it's been two days. Almost a day ago that the Faker had gotten himself captured, and now they're moving to the third day after the Apocalypse had set in.

The dark furred hedgehog folded his arms across his chest as his crimson orbs glazed over to the calming crashing waves of the ocean, as if the Armageddon had not taken place at all. The thought of it made the onyx-haired being chuckle in dry amusement.

_Heh… It's funny how the world carries on, even after the signs of this world's end. _

As he mused on his own, his thoughts kept coming back to the dream he had two nights ago, his advanced mind linking it to the kidnapping of his doppelgänger.

_So that dream meant something after all… But the question remains the same… Why do they need Sonic..? What are their motives?_

Shaking his head, he tucked his self-inquiries at the back of his mind, and moved on to a new topic at hand…

The strange power of Alcaeus and their fortress.

_Zero gravity, huh… Grandfather was once a part of a research team that studied zero gravity, but I can't recall that further much anymore… I mostly spent my time in a test tube or with Maria, so it wasn't like I was involved with it. The paperworks and documents about it may have been obliterated with the destruction of the ARK… _

_This is useless… Hopefully, our trip to Future City would get us some answers… Knuckles is right somewhat. The more time we waste, the lesser chance that we're going to save this world and the Faker. _

He glanced to the blanketed skies. For the first time, he appeared to be worried and unsure, due to their circumstances.

_Faker…. You better be alright. _

-x-

**End of Act V**


	6. Update I

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the interruption, but I'm here to bring you some updates and changes before we dive in further to the story. So, let's get this started:

First things first, I am considering of changing the title of this story. This would be the first and the last time that I'll be changing it to avoid confusion, and also, I rather want to do it early before everyone gets too familiar of the scheme. The new title will be revealed in the next update, which moves us to the second point.

Secondly, the updates. I want to keep track of the stories that I will be writing from hereon, so I'm sticking to this schedule. Since I'm getting out of school soon, I would hopefully be releasing the chapters frequently! This story would be updated every two weeks just so it could give me a breather for more ideas and room for side short stories that would be relating to this plot. I am currently planning to write a brief history of Alcaeus the Sibyl and explain his past a bit more on the side, thus I decided to do that in a separate story.

Third and lastly, I just want to thank all of the followers so far and those who favorited this story of mine! I'm glad you like this story and I hope you continue to support this fan fiction till the end!

Well, that's all for the quick interruption! Thanks again guys and as always, thank you for reading! See you next chapter!


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